Mateo Kovacic and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will return when Chelsea and Manchester City meet at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
Chelsea will be desperate to bounce back to winning ways when they welcome Manchester City to Stamford Bridge on Thursday night. And Graham Potter does not have any new roster issues to deal with ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Reece James (knee) and Ben Chilwell (hamstring) remain on the sidelines due to their respective issues. In addition, Edouard Mendy (shoulder), Wesley Fofana (knee), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (calf), N’Golo Kante (hamstring), and Armando Broja (knee) are unavailable to take on Manchester City.
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Potter spoke about Mendy during his pre-match press conference, ruling the Senegalese shot-stopper out of contention to take on Manchester City. The Chelsea boss said, “He’s been training a little bit more than he was. He’s not fully fit at the moment but hopefully in the next week or so he might make some progress.”
In Mendy’s continued absence, Kepa Arrizabalaga will retain his spot between the sticks. Chelsea will likely line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of the Spaniard. And Thiago Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly should form the central defensive pairing, with Marc Cucurella and Cesar Azpilicueta continuing as the full-backs.
The first change should come in the midfield unit, with Mateo Kovacic likely replacing Jorginho. The Croat will line up alongside Denis Zakaria in the double pivot in the middle of the park. And Mason Mount will be the most advanced midfielder for the hosts, reprising the no. 10 role.
Meanwhile, Potter also addressed questions on Chelsea’s latest signing, David Datro Fofana. He said, “He’s here at the moment but we still need to wait for the clearances and all those formalities. He’s been on a bit of a break so we’ll give him some time to train and assess him, then find out the best solution in terms of how to take the next step of his career.”
While Fofana will not face Manchester City, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should return. The former Arsenal captain will likely spearhead the attack on Thursday, with Kai Havertz dropping to the bench. Finally, Christian Pulisic and Raheem Sterling should continue as the wide attackers. So Hakim Ziyech will be a backup option.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Silva, Koulibaly, Cucurella; Kovacic, Zakaria; Sterling, Mount, Pulisic; Aubameyang
