Joao Felix and Raheem Sterling will return, but Reece James will be unavailable for Chelsea against Brentford on Wednesday.
Chelsea will be desperate to return to winning ways when they welcome Brentford to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. And Frank Lampard has several pressing issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Reece James and Mason Mount have played their final games this season and will only return to action next term. In addition, Kai Havertz is recovering from a knee injury. But fortunately for Lampard, the German international is only a short-term absentee.
James, Mount, and Havertz have joined Kalidou Koulibaly and Armando Broja on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Lampard spoke about the issues surrounding James, Mount, and Havertz during his pre-match press conference.
He said, “Reece James is unavailable for this game and probably for the rest of the season as well. Reece had a hamstring injury that he picked up in the Madrid game, got through the game, but we scanned it in the following days and he’ll be out.”
Chelsea vs Brentford Preview: Prediction, Probable Lineups, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats
“Kai is still struggling a bit with his knee so he hasn’t been training with us, which is obviously disappointing for us, but he should be back training at the start of the week.”
“Mason is the same as Reece unfortunately, although he possibly might be back in time for our last game of the season, but that’s not certain. Mason has been carrying this pelvic injury for a quite a while, it definitely predates myself by a while.”
James’s absence means Lampard will have to make a compromise on his right-back choice. And while Cesar Azpilicueta is an option for the position, Ruben Loftus-Cheek will likely start on the right flank. The Englishman should join Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva, and Wesley Fofana in the defensive unit. And the quartet will protect Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Chelsea goal.
As for the midfield, Lampard does not have a reason to tinker, considering the Blues had the weekend off. So N’Golo Kante will start again, joining Enzo Fernandez and Mateo Kovacic in the middle of the park.
Finally, Lampard will dish out a new-look offensive unit on Wednesday. With Havertz unavailable, Raheem Sterling will start as a makeshift striker, although Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is also an option. Meanwhile, Mykhailo Mudryk and Joao Felix should complete the numbers in the final third. So Christian Pulisic, Noni Madueke, and Hakim Ziyech will be the backup options on the bench.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Kepa; Loftus-Cheek, Wesley Fofana, Silva, Chilwell; Kante, Fernandez, Kovacic; Mudryk, Sterling, Felix
