{"id":5697,"date":"2026-05-08T05:40:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T05:40:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=5697"},"modified":"2026-05-08T05:40:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T05:40:41","slug":"chelseas-4-2-3-1-predicted-starting-lineup-against-liverpool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=5697","title":{"rendered":"Chelsea’s 4-2-3-1 predicted starting lineup against Liverpool"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Chelsea\u2019s predicted lineup vs Liverpool at Anfield: A tough task awaits<\/h2>\n

Chelsea go to Anfield on Saturday, 9 May 2026, for a\u00a0Premier League\u00a0clash that feels like a massive test for the squad. Looking at the predicted starting eleven, it\u2019s clear the Blues have some big calls to make. They will likely stick with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Filip J\u00f6rgensen might take back his spot in goal after dealing with a groin issue, even though Robert S\u00e1nchez has done a solid job filling in lately. That choice in goal will be huge for how much confidence the backline has on the day.<\/p>\n

Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella should start as the full-backs, with Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo likely paired up in the middle. They have looked like a dependable duo whenever they\u2019re on the same page. In front of them, Rom\u00e9o Lavia and Mois\u00e9s Caicedo are expected to run the midfield. To be honest, that pairing is Chelsea\u2019s best bet if they want to control the pace against a Liverpool team that have so much talent across the pitch.<\/p>\n

Three Masterstrokes from Arteta against Atl\u00e9tico Madrid \u2013 Genius or Lucky?<\/p>\n

Attacking roles for Chelsea<\/h3>\n

In the attacking roles, Cole Palmer, Enzo Fern\u00e1ndez, and Jo\u00e3o Pedro will probably start, with Palmer being the main source of creativity. It\u2019s a bit of a selection headache elsewhere, as Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho missed the last game with knocks and still haven\u2019t been cleared to play. That really thins out the attacking options. Leading the line, Liam Delap gets the start; he\u2019s got the physicality to hold up the ball and get his teammates involved.<\/p>\n

With Estevao and Jamie Gittens still ruled out, interim manager Calum McFarlane doesn\u2019t have as many options as he\u2019d like. On the bright side, Reece James made his return against Forest and Levi Colwill is back after a long layoff, so both might make the bench if they\u2019re fit enough for the trip.<\/p>\n

This Chelsea side clearly have talent, but there\u2019s still a bit of a fragile feel to them. Anfield is going to test them from the first whistle, and we\u2019ll find out pretty quickly if Chelsea have the backbone and the belief to actually compete with the best.<\/p>\n

Big Injury Setback as 16 players set to miss Liverpool vs Chelsea clash<\/p>\n

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Filip J\u00f6rgensen \u2013 Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Cucurella \u2013 Rom\u00e9o Lavia, Mois\u00e9s Caicedo \u2013 Cole Palmer, Enzo Fern\u00e1ndez, Jo\u00e3o Pedro \u2013 Liam Delap.<\/p>\n

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More Chelsea Stories from Scorzo<\/h2>\n
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Chelsea\u2019s predicted lineup vs Liverpool at Anfield: A tough task awaits Chelsea go to Anfield…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5697\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}