N’Golo Kante and Trevoh Chalobah are back in contention, while Romelu Lukaku is in line to start when Chelsea face Everton in the Premier League.
Chelsea will be aiming to keep pace with league leaders Manchester City when they lock horns with a struggling Everton side in Matchweek 17 of the Premier League on Thursday.
Heading into the game, manager Thomas Tuchel has received a double injury boost as N’Golo Kante and Trevoh Chalobah have recovered from their fitness problems and are available for selection. Confirming the same in his presser, the German said: “NG will be back on the bench tomorrow. He did the last two training sessions. Trevoh also did the last two sessions and will also be back in the squad.”
Chelsea vs Everton Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats
However, Chelsea will continue to be without midfielder Mateo Kovacic as he recovers from coronavirus, while defender Ben Chilwell remains sidelined for the foreseeable future. Tuchel could make a few changes to the side that started in the win against Leeds United, given the run of fixtures lined up ahead.
No alterations are expected in goal, however, with Edouard Mendy expected to hold on to his place, while Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger should keep hold of their places in the lineup. Thiago Silva, however, could be given a breather by the manager, with Andreas Christensen getting a start in place of the veteran defender.
Meanwhile, no changes are likely in the wing-back slots either, with the in-form Reece James and Marcos Alonso expected to start on the right and left flanks, respectively. And even though Kante is back in contention, as Tuchel has confirmed, the Frenchman will only be on the bench for the night. With Saul Niguez and Ross Barkley struggling, Jorginho and Ruben Loftus-Cheek should start in midfield again.
Mason Mount has been in good nick of late, and Chelsea will need a player of his quality to unlock an Everton side that could come to Stamford Bridge with the intention of defending deep. He will take his customary position as one of the two attacking midfielders, but Timo Werner could drop out after a poor game last time out. Instead, Christian Pulisic could be in line for a rare run-out in the starting XI.
Up top, Romelu Lukaku could be set for a start after being benched in the clash against Leeds over the weekend. “He played 70-something minutes against Zenit, then we had a lot of travelling, lack of sleep, and a very intense opponent with Leeds. We decided not to put him in straight away. I think he can play 70 [minutes] plus, but it depends how the game goes,” Tuchel said in his presser.
Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz will all be options from the bench.
Chelsea Predicted XI: Mendy, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger, James, Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek, Alonso, Mount, Pulisic, Werner.
