With qualification already secured in style. This is a good opportunity to rest key players and give the fans something to cheer about after yesterday.

Matic and Fabregas to start as Matic didn't play yesterday and Cesc won't be next week.

Cech

Azpi

Cahill

Zouma

Luis

Matic

Mikel

Salah

Fabregas

Schurrle

Remy

Edited December 7, 201411 yr by AlexTommo

I wouldn't play Matic. Let him rest again. Mikel can play again. I would also rest Oscar and play Ramires.

Rest players for this but hope we win of course, psycologically its important to bounce back from defeat

That whole squad ruling is bullsh*t, how can they have squad size restrictions then dictate what your best team is supposed to be?

It's bollocks. It's not like we're fielding a youth team.

Replacing Courtois with Cech and bringing in Schurrle, Ramires and Luis is hardly weakening the squad.

This match is going to be important for Sporting, if they will lose and Schalke will win, then they will be dropped to Europe League. We're coming after our first lose, I don't think we need to lose more matches, we must back to our unbeaten way. So, hopefully Jose will make few changes, but we still need to win this game, even draw will be kind of good results, just not another lose. 

 

I'd like to see this XI:

 

Cech

 

Azpi

Zouma

Terry

Luis

 

Fabregas

Mikel

 

Schurrle

Ramires

Hazard

 

Remy

It's bollocks. It's not like we're fielding a youth team.

Replacing Courtois with Cech and bringing in Schurrle, Ramires and Luis is hardly weakening the squad.

Whats the point in being made to name a 25 man squad if your not allowed to play some of them without being questioned, weve earned the right to play whoever the hell we like by winning the group already. 

 

I would definitely rest Costa, Fabregas, Courtois, Cahill, Oscar. 

Cech

 

Azpi

Zouma

Christensen

Felipe Luis

 

Ramires

Mikel

 

Schurrle

Baker

Salah

 

Remy

Screw UEFA, Mourinho should just field any team he wants. I have seen Real Madrid and Barcelona field weakened teams over the years and they get away with it.

Whats the point in being made to name a 25 man squad if your not allowed to play some of them without being questioned, weve earned the right to play whoever the hell we like by winning the group already.

I would definitely rest Costa, Fabregas, Courtois, Cahill, Oscar.

Superb post, spot on

This is a dead rubber, might as well make whole sale changes considering the amount of fixtures we have coming up and Mourinho's refusal to rotate.

 

Cech

 

Christensen 

Zouma

Ivanovic

Luis

 

Salah

Mikel

Ramires

Schurrle

 

Remy

Drogba

Edited December 7, 201411 yr by FLYMJ

Cech

Azpi

Zouma

Terry

Luis

Ramires

Mikel

Remy

Cesc

Schurrle

Drogba

A team with Hull in mind. Brana would replace Zouma for me in this side for the weekend.

Tibo for Cech, Matic for mikel and Oscar for cesc.

Otherwise if remy, Schurrle and Drogba perform then Willian, Hazard and Costa can stay on the bench.

Give all or most of the nailed on starter prem players the night off, lot of games coming up , rest needed

Fabergas more advanced

Cech

Dave

Zouma

JT

Luis

Mikel

Rambo

Shirley

Fabergas

SalAh

Remy

Cech

Dave

Zouma

JT

Luis

Mikel

Ramires

Salah

Fabregas

Schurrle

Remy

If Salah doesn't start this dead rubber he can consider his Chelsea career over, right?

If Salah doesn't start this dead rubber he can consider his Chelsea career over, right?

I think it already is, I'm pretty sure he's going in January

Salah must be poor in training to get so few minutes.

Hope Remy plays a full game, judging by his cameo, he should be a more important player than what he is right now.

A bonus game to give players match fitness and maybe try a thing or two. I don't see us losing, regardless of selection. I' go with this:

 

Cech - Dave, Zouma, Terry, Luis - Mikel, Ramires, Fabregas - Schurrle, Remy, Salah

 

Subs second half: Christiansen, Ake, Drogba

 

I pity the fool who can claim the above is a weak side.

In terms of fielding a weakened team, although this is a nothing match for us, the result of it will help decide who goes through between Schalke and Sporting.

 

I know in the past in the Premier League, teams have been fined for it, but not sure about the Champions League?

 

 

Found this in an article about Liverpool's team against Madrid a few weeks ago:

 

"Liverpool appear to have violated UEFA regulations after manager Brendan Rodgers rested a number of players for the Champions League clash with Real Madrid.

Under UEFA's competition rules, each team playing in Europe’s elite club competition MUST ‘field their strongest team’ until elimination.

Rule 4.01 states that: “On entering the competition, participating clubs agree to play in the competition until their elimination and to field their strongest team throughout the competition."

Defining the 'strongest team' is all subjective and open to interpretation hence the rules by UEFA are ludicrous!

 

We should field a second-string squad but play to the best of our ability and go for the win! Spots may be up for grabs for those who are trying to break into the side on a regular basis.

Edited December 8, 201411 yr by Jezz

Sporting are still fighting for their CL lives, so it's hardly a dead rubber. Jose would probably prefer somebody we've already whacked 5-0 to go through, so he'll want to win, preferably in style.

The season is becoming a bit of a chess match now. City catching up, but at what cost? Aguero buggered for a month they say, so even less chance of a result in Rome. Fingers crossed, we're not picking up injuries, and a full squad for the CL knockout stages has to be Jose's priority.

A bonus game to give players match fitness and maybe try a thing or two. I don't see us losing, regardless of selection. I' go with this:

 

Cech - Dave, Zouma, Terry, Luis - Mikel, Ramires, Fabregas - Schurrle, Remy, Salah

 

Subs second half: Christiansen, Ake, Drogba

 

I pity the fool who can claim the above is a weak side.

That's a nice team to play

Maybe Ake starting for Ramires/Mikel but would definitely like to see Ramires have some minutes as Fab is out for the league (maybe of the bench)

Oscar will play for sure.I think some players need rest a bit,but Mou wont let them.We will start like allweys with small changes.

Looking forward to this one, despite it being a pretty meaningless game as far as we're concerned. I would personally like to see us use it as an opportunity to rest some key players and give guys like Schurrle, Luis and Remy a much needed run out. It's important for the mentality of the team to record a win straight away after Saturday. Certainly won't be easy though, with Sporting being right up for it. 

 

Also, potentially worth using this game to try out using two upfront. I'm sure Mourinho wouldn't be keen on that, but it might give a different dimension to our play going forward. 

Edited December 8, 201411 yr by Carefree92

Defining the 'strongest team' is all subjective and open to interpretation hence the rules by UEFA are ludicrous!

 

We should field a second-string squad but play to the best of our ability and go for the win! Spots may be up for grabs for those who are trying to break into the side on a regular basis.

Yeah that just sounds like an antiquated gentlemen's agreement. 'Thou shall always give it their all'

 

We have to rest our starting 11 in this 'meaningless' match as another crunch period is coming up after this match