Former Arsenal player Charlie Nicholas has predicted that Chelsea could be frustrated for the second time in the Champions League. The Blues under new boss Frank Lampard are gearing up to face Lille in the mid-week.
Chelsea started their Champions League campaign with a 1-0 loss to Valencia and are looking to bounce back from that upsetting result. However, Nicholas thinks that Lampard’s men will emerge with a 1-0 draw following the fixture.
Speaking about the game, he said,
“This is a very awkward tie. I am trying to work out how Frank Lampard goes about this. When is the right time to put all of these youngsters in together?”
“If he can use them, he would much prefer to use them at home. After being on a high, you do not want to flip the switch and raise question marks.”
“He will go with a solid base I think for that reason. Lille drew 1-1 away at Nice at the weekend and are sitting pretty comfortable in fourth, so this is a test for Chelsea.”
“I think they may get something from this, but it will be a more experienced Chelsea side that we see.”
Ahead of their trip to France, Lampard said,
“We should have got a result. With Lille, they have a lot of threats, speed and quality. It is not the be-all and end-all, we have to see it in the big picture, but it’s a game we have to be ready for.”
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