Chelsea will be looking to cement their place at the top of the table when they take on Watford at Vicarage Road this evening.
Thomas Tuchel has made some changes from the side that drew with Manchester United on Sunday with Andreas Christensen handed a recall in defence. Thiago Silva is given a rest as he drops to the bench but Trevoh Chalobah and Antonio Rudiger keep their places to line-up alongside Christensen in the Chelsea back three.
Cesar Azpilicueta is also back in the starting eleven as he comes in for Reece James on the right flank while Marcos Alonso keeps his place on the left with Ben Chilwell out with a serious knee injury that’s expected to keep him on the sidelines for at least six weeks.
Chelsea have concerns in midfield too as N’Golo Kante is out with a knee problem, Mateo Kovacic is still working his way back to full fitness while Jorginho is fatigued so is only named on the bench tonight. Therefore, Saul Niguez makes a rare start alongside Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the middle of the park.
Tuchel has made plenty of changes in attack as Kai Havertz is recalled to start in the Chelsea attack while Christian Pulisic is also back in the side. Mason Mount is handed a start so Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner and Callum Hudson-Odoi drop out.
Romelu Lukaku is still not deemed fit enough to start so the Belgian international has to settle for a place among the substitutes this evening.
Here are the confirmed line-ups:
Watford
Bachmann, Femenia, Cathcart, Troost-Ekong, Masina, Louza, Joao Pedro, Cleverley, Sissoko, King, Dennis
Subs: Elliot, Ngakia, Rose, Hernandez, Gosling, Fletcher, Tufan, Kabasele, Kucka
Chelsea
Mendy, Chalobah, Christensen, Rudiger, Azpilicueta, Loftus-Cheek, Saul, Alonso, Mount, Havertz, Pulisic
Subs: Kepa, Sarr, Silva, Barkley, Jorginho, Hudson-Odoi, Ziyech, Lukaku, Werner
