Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ben Chilwell will return to the starting lineup when Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion face off at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
Chelsea will aim to continue the unbeaten start to life under Graham Potter when they lock horns with Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon. And Potter does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
The Chelsea boss had been sweating over the fitness of Mateo Kovacic. The Croat had gone off against Red Bull Salzburg with a calf issue but is fit and available. However, Kalidou Koulibaly is yet to recover from a knee injury that has kept him out for two weeks.
Apart from Koulibaly, Reece James, N’Golo Kante and Wesley Fofana remain on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Potter provided an update on Kovacic, Koulibaly, and James in his pre-match press conference. And the Chelsea manager revealed that Kovacic was suffering from fatigue while revealing that Koulibaly might be in contention next week.
“We’re pretty much the same as Salzburg. Mateo has no problem with his calf, it was more fatigue. Koulibaly has an outside chance for Wednesday but not tomorrow. He’s [James] in a brace for probably four weeks.”
Koulibaly’s continued absence means Marc Cucurella should start in the back three for Chelsea this weekend. The Spaniard will line up alongside Thiago Silva and Trevoh Chalobah in the central defensive unit. Kepa Arrizabalaga is an automatic pick between the sticks ahead of Edouard Mendy.
Potter had experimented with Christian Pulisic and Raheem Sterling as the wing-backs against Red Bull Salzburg. But Ben Chilwell should return on the left flank versus Brighton. And on the right wing, Ruben Loftus-Cheek might start as a makeshift option, affording Cesar Azpilicueta some rest.
Kovacic might be fit and available this week, but Potter will likely rest the Croatian international. So Conor Gallagher should start alongside Jorginho in the middle of the park on Saturday. Kovacic will thus be an option on the bench.
As for the offensive unit, Sterling will move into the advanced position in the final third. So Kai Havertz might make way for the English international, despite a decent showing in the UEFA Champions League. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should spearhead the Chelsea attack, with Mason Mount completing the numbers.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Kepa; Chalobah, Silva, Cucurella; Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Gallagher, Chilwell; Mount, Aubameyang, Sterling
