Confirmed Chelsea vs Lyon line-ups: Youngsters get nod, familiar face returns to the Bridge

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Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea welcome Ligue 1 side Lyon to Stamford Bridge in their final pre-season matchup ahead of their opening Premier League fixture away to Huddersfield at the weekend.

The Blues looked lacklustre in their 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday afternoon in their Community Shield clash. In turn, Sarri will be looking to end pre-season on a high after suffering defeats to Inter Milan and Arsenal during their summer travels.

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With regards to line-ups, Chelsea fans will be familiar with some of Lyon’s players as former Chelsea man Bertrand Traore returns to the Bridge after sealing a switch to France last summer. Former Manchester United winger Memphis Depay is also starting for the visitors.

As for Chelsea, Sarri has opted to give many of the club’s youngsters a chance to shine before the season starts. 19-year old Marcin Bulka starts in goal having produced some eye-catching saves during the pre-season friendlies.

Ethan Ampadu is also starting along with Andreas Christensen and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, with the latter given the chance to impress the home fans after catching the eye of many with his performances at the World Cup.

Striker Tammy Abraham leads the Chelsea line, and featuring for the first-team perhaps signals that the forward will be staying in west London this season and won’t be heading out on loan again.

If that’s the case, the 20-year-old will be eager to make a strong impression on Sarri and to show that he is a capable alternative to the likes of Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud.

Take a look at the confirmed lineups for both sides below:

A convincing win for Chelsea could prove to be a significant boost ahead of the start of the new season to put the defeat to City firmly behind them having been largely outplayed by Pep Guardiola’s men.

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