Abraham to lead attack as Chelsea set to parade tough lineup against Atletico Madrid in UCL battle
- Thomas Tuchel is not expected to name a much-changed side from the team that drew 1-1 against Southampton for the Atletico clash
- With the exception of Thiago Silva, the Chelsea boss has a fully fit squad to select from - including Tammy Abraham who shook off an ankle problem
- A favourable result over the La Liga giants in Bucharest, Romania, will increase their chances of booking a place in the quarter finals of the Champions League
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Thomas Tuchel's credentials as Chelsea manager are set to be put into test on Tuesday night, February 23, when the Blues take on Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.
Source: UGC
The match come at a time the west London club are enjoying a steady revival under Tuchel who replaced Frank Lampard back in January.
Chelsea are yet to suffer any defeat in the seven matches the German tactician has been in charge, with their last outing against Southampton on Saturday, February 20, ending in a disappointing 1-1 draw.
However, the side will be looking to make a good account of themselves when they play Atletico at the National Arena in Bucharest, Romania.
The match will see Tuchel parade a strong team that can salvage a favourable result to increase their chances of qualifying for the quarter finals of the European tournament.
This will be the first time the two sides will be locking horns since their meeting in the group stages of the 2017/18 UCL campaign.
At the time, Chelsea won 2-1 at the Wanda Metropolitano before settling for a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge in the reverse tie.
Tuchel is not expected to make many changes for the Tuesday clash from the team that drew at the weekend, with the tactician having a near full squad to select from.
With the exception of veteran defender Thiago Silva, the Premier League side have no other major injury concerns.
Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham are all part of the traveling party, but it is Timo Werner and Mason Mount expected to help Abraham in the goal hunt.
N'Golo Kante could get the nod ahead of Matteo Kovacic in midfield alongside Jorginho.
In defence, Marcos Alonso could once again start over Ben Chilwell, with Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger taking charge in the heart of defence.
Possible Chelsea line-up vs Atletico:
Goalkeeper: Édouard Mendy
Defenders: James, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Christensen
Midfielders: Kante, Jorginho, Alonso
Forwards: Mount, Abraham, Werner
Earlier, Legit.ng had reported how Thomas Tuchel stated that his priority is to complete the job with Chelsea ahead of the Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid.
The former Paris Saint-Germain boss whose team played in the finals of the competition last season is not ambitious about making the trophy with the Blues this season.
Ibitoye Shittu is an award winning Sports Journalist with more than 10 years experience in News-writing, reporting and Public Relation. He is an HND and B.SC holder of Mass Communication and can be reached on Twitter @Ibishittu
Source: Legit.ng
Ibitoye Shittu Ibitoye Shittu is an award-winning Sports Journalist with more than 10 years of experience in News-writing, reporting and Public Relations. He is a B.SC holder in Mass Communication and can be reached on Twitter @ibishittu
Khadijah Thabit (Copyeditor) Khadijah Thabit is an editor with over 3 years of experience editing and managing contents such as articles, blogs, newsletters and social leads. She has a BA in English and Literary Studies from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Khadijah joined Legit.ng in September 2020 as a copyeditor and proofreader for the Human Interest, Current Affairs, Business, Sports and PR desks. As a grammar police, she develops her skills by reading novels and dictionaries. Email: khadeeejathabit@gmail.com
