Chelsea take on Tottenham in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final clash on Tuesday and Maurizio Sarri has opted for a strong starting line-up.
With just two games separating them and a spot in the final, the Blues are evidently taking the competition very seriously as Sarri looks to win silverware in his first season in charge.
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With that in mind, the Italian tactician has named a line-up that isn’t far off the strongest XI at his disposal, with Eden Hazard leading the way with Willian and Callum Hudson-Odoi supporting him.
Jorginho comes into the midfield with Cesc Fabregas dropping out from the weekend win over Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, while the likes of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cesar Azpilicueta and N’Golo Kante all get the nod from the start.
Chelsea have already seen off Liverpool, Derby County and Bournemouth to get to this stage, and they’ll be hoping to get the better of Mauricio Pochettino’s side to take that final step to get into the final with Manchester City taking on Burton Albion in the other semi-final.
It won’t be easy though, as Spurs have also gone with a strong line-up as Harry Kane leads the line for the hosts with Pochettino also going for an almost full-strength XI which in turn sets up a potentially thrilling cup encounter.
The second leg takes place at Stamford Bridge on January 22, and both sides will be desperate to go into that clash with an advantage from Tuesday night’s showdown.
Tonight’s team to play Tottenham…#TOTCHE pic.twitter.com/ELtyi1Zgfq
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 8, 2019
#THFC: Gazzaniga, Trippier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Rose, Winks, Sissoko, Eriksen, Dele, Son, Kane (C).
Latest @WilliamHill odds – https://t.co/6E2h07OwBh (18+) #COYS pic.twitter.com/z3XfL4ZQKs
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 8, 2019
