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Chelsea have announced their starting lineup to face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday (May 13). Fans, though, are unhappy to see Raheem Sterling start.
The Blues picked up their first top-flight win of the season under interim coach Frank Lampard last weekend, beating Bournemouth 3-1. Now, they're looking for a second straight victory against a relegation-battling side.
The Trick Trees are down in 16th place in the league table with 33 points from 35 games, but have won two of their last three outings, albeit both at home. Chelsea are the favourites to prevail at Stamford Bridge, but fans aren't confident of their team's chances after seeing the out-of-form Sterling in the starting XI.
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Joining from Manchester City last summer, the Englishman has endured a torrid run with with the Pensioners, scoring just four league goals in 25 games. To put that into context, he's on course to finish in single digits in a Premier League season for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
Fans took to Twitter to express their disappointment at Lampard's decision to start Sterling. One gave up hopes before the game by asserting that his side "are losing" already. Another deemed the lineup "awful", while a third fan was perplexed at why Sterling was starting over Mykhailo Mudryk.
Here are the best Twitter reactions:
Sterling doesn't regret Chelsea move despite struggles
Raheem Sterling has gone off the boil after joining from Manchester City last summer but still doesn't regret leaving the Etihad for Chelsea.
In an interview with The Sun last month, the England international said that he was content with his achievements with the Sky Blues and felt it was the right time to seek new challenges.
In seven years with the Etihad outfit, Sterling netted 131 goals and made 95 assists from 339 games, including 91 goals and 56 assists in the Premier League in 225 appearances.
In the process, the 28-year-old helped City to 11 titiles, including four in the league, with the Champions League being the only trophy to elude him. At Chelsea, Sterling is now set for a titleless debut campaign.
