Hakim Ziyech and Andreas Christensen ought to return, but Thiago Silva will miss out due to an injury when Chelsea take on Sheffield United on Sunday.
Chelsea will be hoping to continue their recent unbeaten run when they lock horns with Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday evening. And, Thomas Tuchel has a fresh injury concern to contend with ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Kurt Zouma and Kai Havertz remain doubtful to participate in the fixture as they continue to deal with their respective knocks. In addition, Chelsea have been dealt a major blow in the form of Thiago Silva’s thigh injury, which has ruled him out for the foreseeable future.
Tuchel did provide an update on Silva during his pre-match press conference, which was conducted in the aftermath of the midweek fixture against Tottenham. The Chelsea boss iterated that with the injury being on the muscle, the veteran defender is expected to miss out.
Silva said, “It will be very tight for Sunday’s game, only two days recovery. It is too early to give a diagnosis because I saw him very briefly with a big strap around his muscle. We will have to wait until tomorrow so we can confirm it but I think for Sunday he is a big doubt.”
In Silva’s absence, Tuchel has just three centre-backs at his disposal, meaning Andreas Christensen is a certain starter in the three-man central defensive unit alongside Antonio Rudiger and captain Cesar Azpilicueta. In goal, there is no looking past Edouard Mendy.
Chelsea will once again line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation against Sheffield United, with Ben Chilwell and Reece James likely to miss out, although the latter was decent enough last time out versus Spurs. In their stead, Marcos Alonso and Callum Hudson-Odoi should be preferred as the two wing-backs.
In the middle of the park, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic ought to retain their spots after impressive displays against Tottenham, meaning N’Golo Kante will be omitted again. As for the attack, Tuchel has a tricky decision to make, seeing as he has to pick between six players for three positions.
Speaking of, Mason Mount made an impression on the Chelsea boss and should start and Tuchel did comment on his performance. He said, “You can be very sure that Mase leaves his heart on the pitch for Chelsea and this is what we need so I was just happy that we won. He’s an absolute team player, he’s still young and there’s still room to improve so I told him not to worry. I was happy with his performance.”
Mount should be one of the two attacking midfielders behind the central striker, with Hakim Ziyech being recalled to reprise the other such role. Timo Werner should lead the line for Chelsea against Sheffield United despite his continued struggles in front of goal. As a result, the likes of Christian Pulisic, Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham will only be options off the bench.
Chelsea Predicted XI: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; Hudson-Odoi, Kovacic, Jorginho, Alonso; Ziyech, Mount; Werner
Hakim Ziyech and Andreas Christensen ought to return, but Thiago Silva will miss out due to an injury when Chelsea take on Sheffield United on Sunday.
Chelsea will be hoping to continue their recent unbeaten run when they lock horns with Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday evening. And, Thomas Tuchel has a fresh injury concern to contend with ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Kurt Zouma and Kai Havertz remain doubtful to participate in the fixture as they continue to deal with their respective knocks. In addition, Chelsea have been dealt a major blow in the form of Thiago Silva’s thigh injury, which has ruled him out for the foreseeable future.
Tuchel did provide an update on Silva during his pre-match press conference, which was conducted in the aftermath of the midweek fixture against Tottenham. The Chelsea boss iterated that with the injury being on the muscle, the veteran defender is expected to miss out.
Silva said, “It will be very tight for Sunday’s game, only two days recovery. It is too early to give a diagnosis because I saw him very briefly with a big strap around his muscle. We will have to wait until tomorrow so we can confirm it but I think for Sunday he is a big doubt.”
In Silva’s absence, Tuchel has just three centre-backs at his disposal, meaning Andreas Christensen is a certain starter in the three-man central defensive unit alongside Antonio Rudiger and captain Cesar Azpilicueta. In goal, there is no looking past Edouard Mendy.
Chelsea will once again line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation against Sheffield United, with Ben Chilwell and Reece James likely to miss out, although the latter was decent enough last time out versus Spurs. In their stead, Marcos Alonso and Callum Hudson-Odoi should be preferred as the two wing-backs.
In the middle of the park, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic ought to retain their spots after impressive displays against Tottenham, meaning N’Golo Kante will be omitted again. As for the attack, Tuchel has a tricky decision to make, seeing as he has to pick between six players for three positions.
Speaking of, Mason Mount made an impression on the Chelsea boss and should start and Tuchel did comment on his performance. He said, “You can be very sure that Mase leaves his heart on the pitch for Chelsea and this is what we need so I was just happy that we won. He’s an absolute team player, he’s still young and there’s still room to improve so I told him not to worry. I was happy with his performance.”
Mount should be one of the two attacking midfielders behind the central striker, with Hakim Ziyech being recalled to reprise the other such role. Timo Werner should lead the line for Chelsea against Sheffield United despite his continued struggles in front of goal. As a result, the likes of Christian Pulisic, Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham will only be options off the bench.
Chelsea Predicted XI: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; Hudson-Odoi, Kovacic, Jorginho, Alonso; Ziyech, Mount; Werner