N’Golo Kante and Reece James should return to the starting lineup, but Jorginho will return to the bench when Chelsea and Burnley clash at Turf Moor on Saturday.
Chelsea will aim to continue their winning run in the Premier League when they lock horns with Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon. Thomas Tuchel does not have many absentees to deal with ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Tuchel provided a lot of good news in the build-up to the game against Burnley, confirming that Thiago Silva (knock), Trevoh Chalobah (groin), and Hakim Ziyech (Achilles) will be fit and available. But Cesar Azpilicueta faces late fitness tests to determine his availability, and Tuchel is unlikely to take a risk with him. Ben Chilwell is a long-term absentee due to his knee injury.
During his pre-match press conference, Tuchel revealed that he had no new injury concerns, while adding that Azpilicueta remains a doubt for the game against Burnley this weekend.
The Chelsea boss said, “We have no fresh injuries. I still have to talk to the fitness coaches and the doctors after this press conference. Azpi was not in training yesterday so this will be a bit too close unfortunately for him.”
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“Hakim was in training yesterday and seems good so hopefully he can come back. Reece James also did training so no problems or reactions so far after his two matches. The guys who were not with us in Luton Town because of minor injuries like Trevoh Chalobah and Thiago Silva were back in training yesterday and seem fine so good to go.”
The fit-again duo of Chalobah and Silva will return to the starting lineup, with Antonio Rudiger completing the central defensive unit. The three centre-backs will cover Edouard Mendy, who will replace Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Chelsea goal.
Up ahead in midfield, N’Golo Kante will likely replace Jorginho as the leader in the middle of the park. Kante will start alongside Mateo Kovacic in the double-pivot, with Saul Niguez making way for the Croatian international. Reece James, who has regained full fitness, should return as the right wing-back, with Marcos Alonso a shoo-in on the left flank.
Finally, Tuchel has plenty of options to choose from in the attacking unit, especially with Kai Havertz being fit enough to train on Friday. Havertz should spearhead the Chelsea attack in place of the struggling Romelu Lukaku, with Hakim Ziyech also returning to the side. Timo Werner should be the third man in the offensive department following an excellent performance in the FA Cup earlier this week.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Mendy; Chalobah, Silva, Rudiger; James, Kante, Kovacic, Alonso; Ziyech, Havertz, Werner
