TEAM NEWS: SPARTAK MOSCOW V CHELSEA
Posted on: Tue 19 Oct 2010
Yury Zhirkov will take the midfield place vacated by injured Ramires. Michael Essien and Ashley Cole both start.
Carlo Ancelotti considered keeping the pair, who suffered long-term injury last season, off the artificial surface and away from the cold conditions but has decided both can play.
Salomon Kalou makes his return from injury with Gael Kakuta making way. The defence is unchanged from Villa Park.
Of the outfield players on the substitutes' bench, only Patrick van Aanholt is not a teenager, and he is only 20.
Spartak cover the hole left by the injury to playmaker Alex by moving Ari further forward to play behind lone striker Welliton, and bringing Ibson in as one of the two holding midfielders.
Chelsea are expected to start in the following 4-3-3 formation:
1 Petr Cech
19 Paulo Ferreira
2 Branislav Ivanovic
26 John Terry (c)
3 Ashley Cole
5 Michael Essien
12 John Mikel Obi
18 Yury Zhirkov
21 Salomon Kalou
39 Nicolas Anelka
15 Florent Malouda
Subs: 22 Ross Turnbull, 47 Billy Clifford, 43 Jeffrey Bruma, 38 Patrick van Aanholt, 46 Josh McEachran, 52 Jacob Mellis, 44 Gael Kakuta.
Spartak are expected to start in the following 4-2-3-1 formation:
Dykan; Parshivlyuk, Pareja, Suchy, Makeev; Ibson, Sheshukov; McGeady, Ari, Kombarov; Welliton.
Subs: Pesyakov, Sabitov, Stranzl, Ivanov, Ananidze, Kozlov, Maidana.
The referee is Carlos Velasco from Spain.
