Back in European action after a three-month break, with French outfit Lille visiting Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the Champions League’s round of 16.

Although we have a good record against Lille as of late and their far from ideal form in France, we cannot let our guard down against them. Hence the call for what is maybe our strongest lineup given player availability, with Kai Havertz leading the attacking line and the Kanté-Kovacic pairing in central midfield.

Chelsea starting lineup (3-4-3?):
Mendy | Christensen, Thiago Silva, Rüdiger | Azpilicueta (c), Kanté, Kovacic, Alonso | Pulisic, Havertz, Ziyech

Substitutes from: Kepa, Bettinelli, Jorginho, Lukaku, Werner, Loftus-Cheek, Chalobah, Saúl, Mount, Kenedy, Sarr, Vale

Lille starting lineup (4-4-2?):
Leo Jardim | Çelik, Botman, Fonte, Djaló | André, Xeka, Onana, Sanches | Bamba, David

Substitutes from: Grbic, Raux, Gudmundsson, Ben Arfa, Yilmaz, Lihadji, Gomes, Weah, Zhegrova, Bradaric

Date / Time: Tuesday, February 22, 2022, 20.00 GMT; 3pm EST; 1:30am IST (next day)
Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano (on pitch); Alejandro Hernández (VAR)

On TV: BT Sport 2 (UK); CBS, Galavision (US); Sony TEN 2 (India); SuperSport MaXimo 1, Canal+ Sport 3 (NGA); elsewhere
Streaming: BTSport.com (UK); Paramount+, TUDNxtra (US); Sony LIV (India); DSTv Now (NGA)

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Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes!