Marc Cucurella and Jorginho will return, but Joao Felix will be suspended for the game between Chelsea and Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Chelsea will be desperate to bounce back to winning ways when they welcome Crystal Palace to Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon. And Graham Potter has a bloated injury list to contend with ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Denis Zakaria is the latest player in the treatment room after he picked up an injury against Fulham this week. The Swiss international has joined Edouard Mendy, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana, N’Golo Kante, Christian Pulisic, Armando Broja, and Raheem Sterling on the sidelines.
In addition, Ruben Loftus-Cheek might not be fit enough to take to the field yet. At the same time, Joao Felix is suspended after seeing red in his debut for the Blues. Meanwhile, Potter spoke about the gamut of fitness issues troubling his squad during his pre-match press conference. The Chelsea boss also provided an update on Pulisic, who will be out for two months.
“We have to recover from the disappointment of Thursday’s game and then we have to assess all the players in terms of recovery and injuries. Absolutely we’re looking all the time and we’re going over how they’re happening and trying to evaluate the whole thing.”
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats
“Sometimes it’s difficult when you come in during the season to know how things have happened but it’s a bit of bad luck and it’s also a bit of learning for us all, in how we go forward and how we can improve. It’s tricky, it’s not like we’ve been over-training or anything like that, we certainly need to get to the bottom of it though.”
“He’s [Pulisic] a couple of months out. He’s disappointed but he’s optimistic that he can come back quicker than the two months. So he’s in that phase where he’s just trying to keep his fingers crossed and hope that his rehab goes well.”
Amid the mounting injury troubles, the Chelsea starting lineup practically picks itself. It all starts with Kepa Arrizabala between the sticks. And Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva, and Kalidou Koulibaly should form the central defensive unit.
Marc Cucurella started on the bench against Fulham but should return to the eleven on Sunday. The Spaniard will likely join captain Cesar Azpilicueta in the wing-back pairing. Meanwhile, Zakaria’s injury-riddled absence means Jorginho will return to the lineup. The Italian international will start alongside Mateo Kovacic in the middle of the park.
Moving into the offensive unit, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is fit and available. But the Gabonese striker will unlikely start, with Kai Havertz set to spearhead the attack. Finally, Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech should join Havertz in the final third, with Aubameyang an option off the bench.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Kepa; Chalobah, Koulibaly, Silva; Azpilicueta, Kovacic, Jorginho, Cucurella; Ziyech, Havertz, Mount
