Ross Barkley makes a rare start while Jorginho dons the captain’s armband as Chelsea prepare to take on Burnley at Stamford Bridge.
Thomas Tuchel has made four changes to the side that started in the 1-0 win over Malmo FF in the midweek UEFA Champions League tie as Chelsea get set to play hosts to Burnley at Stamford Bridge. There are no shuffles in goal, where Edouard Mendy keeps hold of his spot.
The three-man central defensive unit remains unchanged, with Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger once again preferred by Tuchel to man the back three. However, Chelsea have an entirely different wing-back pairing, with Reece James and Ben Chilwell replacing Cesar Azpilicueta and the injured Marcos Alonso.
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Up ahead in midfield, N’Golo Kante returns to partner Jorginho, who will be donning the captain’s armband for Chelsea in the absence of Azpilicueta. Ruben Loftus-Cheek has made way for Kante, with the English international a backup option on the bench along with Saul Niguez, as far as the midfield department is concerned.
The fourth and final change to the starting lineup comes in the form of a rare start for Ross Barkley. The Englishman replaces Hakim Ziyech, while Mason Mount will only fit to make a second-half cameo. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Kai Havertz retain their spots in the final third, meaning Christian Pulisic is a substitute again.
Chelsea Starting Lineup: Mendy, Christensen, Silva, Rudiger, James, Kante, Jorginho, Chilwell, Barkley, Hudson-Odoi, Havertz