Denis Zakaria, Hakim Ziyech, and Mason Mount should start when Chelsea take on Fulham at Craven Cottage on Thursday.
Chelsea are coming into the contest against Fulham on the back of four defeats and a draw from their last six Premier League matches. They are currently tenth in the table and cannot afford to continue to slip up if they want to secure a top-four finish this season.
The Blues have multiple injury problems heading into this contest and are likely to field a weakened side against Fulham. Wesley Fofana, Armando Broja and Edouard Mendy are currently sidelined with long-term injuries.
Meanwhile, Graham Potter confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Ruben Loftus-cheek, Ben Chilwell and Reece James are currently making progress in their recovery and could be back in action soon. But French international midfielder N’Golo Kante still remains a long way away before he is fully fit.
“We’re making progress,” Potter explained before adding, “Ruben is getting closer, Ben is getting closer. Reece was out on the grass today, not training with the team but training on his own. N’Golo’s had his first couple of days out training on his own as well, although he has still got a long, long way to go before he is back fully.”
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The Chelsea boss also added that Christian Pulisic is likely to be ruled out for a couple of months. And the Blues are still determining the true extent of Raheem Sterling’s injury. Potter said, “Christian’s going to be out for a couple of months we think.
“Hopefully, it will be less, but that’s the timeframe there. We think Raheem will be out for less time than Christian. We’re still evaluating the actual extent of it, but hopefully, it will be less than that.”
Summer signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang went off during the last Premier League game against Manchester City. But the former Arsenal captain is fit for the game against Fulham. Potter said on Aubameyang, “Pierre’s fine so he’ll be in the squad for the game tomorrow.”
In the continued absence of Mendy, Kepa Arrizabalaga is expected to start in goal for the Blues. Cesar Azpilicueta and Marc Cucurella will likely be deployed as the full-backs, and summer signing Kalidou Koulibaly will partner Thiago Silva in the heart of the defence.
The midfield trio pretty much picks itself given the number of injuries. Italian international Jorginho is set to start in the middle of the park, and he will be partnered with Mateo Kovacic and Denis Zakaria. It is a similar situation in the attack, and Chelsea are without a number of players here.
Kai Havertz is expected to lead the line, with Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech lining up as the wide forwards. And Aubameyang might be the only recognised attacker available off the bench in the absence of Sterling and Pulisic.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Koulibaly, Silva, Cucurella; Kovacic, Jorginho, Zakaria; Ziyech, Havertz, Mount
