How should Chelsea line up against Pafos in Champions League?

Champions League football returns this week, and since the “league phase” (née group stage) is extra long nowadays, we are still not in the knockout rounds despite it being the second half of the season already.

And, actually, Chelsea’s place in the knockout rounds isn’t quite assured just yet either, as we have just ten points from our first six games. Last year, that was not enough for a top-24 finish. So we need at least a point or two from our last two games, though if we get all six, we might yet be back in contention for a top-8 finish, even (last year, 16 points were enough to get that first knockout round bye).

So, everything’s on the table and everything’s there to play for as Pafos, one of the lowest-ranked teams in the competition waltz into town (with a certain David Luiz among their number)!

Head coach Liam Rosenior won’t address the media until later today, so we don’t have any updated injury information, though Cole Palmer looked a bit worse for wear at the end of Saturday’s game, so I’m guessing he will be limited, at best. Tosin Adarabioyo is probably in the same situation: he was taken off as a precaution with a hamstring twinge in that game, while Estêvão and Jamie Gittens were ill and Malo Gusto missed out with a still-unspecified injury.

So our options might be a bit limited.

Choose wisely.

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