Liam Rosenior to make wholesale Chelsea changes ahead of PSG Champions League battle | OneFootball

Parc des Princes forms the backdrop for Wednesday night’s Champions League blockbuster as Chelsea take on reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their last 16 tie.

Both sides meet for the first time since the FIFA Club World Cup final, when a Cole Palmer masterclass propelled Chelsea to a comfortable 3-0 victory in the United States.

The Blues secured automatic qualification to the Champions League round of 16 after finishing sixth in the League Phase.

Chelsea went into the final matchday in danger of missing out, but an astonishing comeback 3-2 victory against Napoli sealed their top-eight finish.

The Blues have blown hot and cold since that victory, but Rosenior’s side have lost just two of their last nine games across all competitions (W5, D2).

Chelsea are heading into this mouth-watering contest on the back of a hard-fought 4-2 extra-time victory over Wrexham in the FA Cup fifth round.

Before joining Chelsea, Rosenior had a decent record against PSG during his time as RC Strasbourg manager. He won, drew, and lost one game each against the French champions in Ligue 1.

He’ll be hoping to better that record this time around, and the odds are somewhat in Chelsea’s favour.

The Blues have won their last six UEFA games against French opponents. They have also won their last three Champions League last-16 battles and 13 of their last 16 UEFA two-legged ties.

How Chelsea could line up

Rosenior was forced to throw in some of his heavy-hitters when Wrexham threatened to eliminate Chelsea from the FA Cup, but they should be in top condition at the Parc des Princes.

Fans will be keeping an eye on the goalkeeping situation, with Robert Sanchez in danger of losing his number one spot for the first time in a while.

However, we expect the Spaniard to get the nod behind Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, and Marc Cucurella, while Moises Caicedo and Andrey Santos revive their midfield partnership.

Joao Pedro should return to the XI after bagging a hat-trick against Aston Villa and also scoring against Wrexham. Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, and Alejandro Garnacho will likely line up behind the Brazilian.