Graham Potter will tinker with his squad for the clash between Chelsea and Arsenal, but Ben Chilwell faces a lengthy time on the sidelines.
Graham Potter will be ready to tinker with his squad ahead of the meeting between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon. It is a tough ask, considering recent injuries suffered by key players.
Ben Chilwell pulled up in the closing minutes against Dinamo Zagreb, and the injury did not seem good on first look. The Englishman will miss the 2022 FIFA World Cup and remain sidelined for a considerable period. Chilwell was one of the subjects of Potter’s pre-match press conference.
Potter said, “Ben is going to go for a scan later this afternoon so we will find out how he is then with an update tomorrow. He feels okay but is obviously aware of the injury and we need to let the swelling settle down and hence the delay with the scan. We’ll know more after that.”
“I wouldn’t say he fears the worst but we all saw the nature of the injury. I can’t say it looks positive but until we get the scan it’s difficult to say.”
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Potter was further asked about the mental effect such an injury might have on other players in the team and whether there’s a sense of fear. The Chelsea manager got questioned on why he chose to play key players for an otherwise meaningless Champions League clash.
He added, “I don’t think there’s fear. “I think it’s part of the challenge. It is very difficult to play Premier League or Champions League football and go at it half-heartedly. That’s pretty much impossible, and then at the same time, you know there’s a World Cup a couple of weeks away, so it’s a tricky position for everybody.”
With Chilwell injured, Marc Cucurella is the obvious replacement at left wing-back. The Spaniard and the England international played due to Potter’s constant rotations. On the other flank, Potter has tinkered with the position recently. Ruben Loftus-Cheek seems like a viable option against Arsenal.
Meanwhile, the manager will have to decide on his midfield pairing, as Mateo Kovacic could be a doubt for the weekend. Potter did confirm the Croatian midfielder was back in training. If he does decide to keep Kovacic on the bench, Conor Gallagher could become an option to partner Jorginho in central midfield.
The significant puzzle is to get the right mix in the attack. Potter could keep Raheem Sterling and Mason Mount in the front three. The difficult choice is choosing one of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kai Havertz. Given the Gabonese striker’s history with Arsenal, he may get the nod ahead of the German international.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Koulibaly; Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Kovacic, Cucurella; Sterling, Aubameyang, Mount
