Chelsea were beaten 3-1 by Tottenham Hotspur this past weekend which was the first defeat that Maurizio Sarri’s men suffered this season.
And now the Blues will be eager to get their confidence back by beating PAOK in the Europa League on Thursday.
This is the first time Chelsea are playing in the knockout stages of the Europa League and the Blues have managed to reach the knockout stages without any hiccups.
So one can expect the Chelsea manager to field a second-string side on Thursday.
Chelsea vs PAOK team news:
The first major update of the Chelsea vs PAOK team news is the fact that Eden Hazard will be a miss for the game as the Belgium international is out with an ankle injury.
The winger is expected to miss the Chelsea vs PAOK encounter as well as the Fulham game at home on Sunday in the Premier League.
The absence of Eden Hazard though should not be a major cause of concern for Maurizio Sarri as both PAOK and Fulham are not tough opposition – not atleast on paper.
Apart from Hazard, Sarri has a fully fit squad to choose from and the manager will hopefully give some game time to the players who have been warming the substitutes bench during the Premier League.
This means Cesc Fabregas and Ross Barkley will come into midfield and Jorginho along with N’Golo Kante will be given a much-deserved rest.
Gary Cahill is also expected to start in central defence while David Zappacosta and Andres Christensen will play as the full-backs.
Olivier Giroud is also expected to get the nod ahead of Alvaro Morata while Pedro is expected to replace the injured Eden Hazard on the left flank.
Kepa Arizzabalaga will also move to the bench and Willy Caballero will take the goalkeeping duties during the Chelsea vs PAOK fixture on Thursday.
Read: Chelsea ace reveals what actually went wrong during their defeat to Spurs last weekend and he also talks about challenging Man City.
Read: Chelsea’s worst player in the London Derby stands up to defend himself.
Read: Is this why Tottenham Hotspur so easily dismantled Chelsea in the London Derby last weekend?
