Chelsea will be eyeing a second-straight Premier League win when they entertain Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge tomorrow.
The Blues recently ended a two-match winless league run with a 3-1 triumph at Aston Villa. Jorginho scored twice from the penalty spot.
There were plenty of positives from the game. Romelu Lukaku and Callum Hudson-Odoi made key goal contributions on their return.
Ahead of the Seagulls clash, manager Thomas Tuchel is expected to make changes with two key players suffering injuries at Villa Park.
Here is how Chelsea could line up against Brighton:
Goalkeeper: Edouard Mendy had a quiet game against Villa on Sunday, barring picking the ball out of his net for a Reece James own goal. He is expected to continue between the sticks. The Senegal international has kept eight league clean sheets thus far, and will be aiming for another shutout.
Defence: Silva looks set to be ruled out with a hamstring injury. Andreas Christensen replaced him off the bench last weekend. The Dane is likely to get the nod over Cesar Azpilicueta to partner Trevoh Chalobah and Antonio Rudiger in the back three.
Reece James and Marcos Alonso are pretty much automatic starters in the wing-back positions. Callum Hudson-Odoi has been an option used by Tuchel in the past, but the club graduate could be deployed further up the field where he is most effective.
Midfield: N’Golo Kante is likely to be ruled out with a recurrence of a knee injury. This could pave the way for Mateo Kovacic to make his first start since recovering from a hamstring problem. The Croatian appears set to partner Jorginho in the centre of the park.
Attack: Mason Mount has been inconsistent with his finishing lately, but he remains the club’s most creative playmaker with six goal contributions since the beginning of the month. He should be partnered by Hudson-Odoi, who made a big impact at Villa.
The youngster won the penalty for the equaliser in the opening half before delivering a superb cross for Lukaku to put the Blues ahead before the hour mark. In front of him, Lukaku is expected to start after his sublime second-half display on Sunday.
Lukaku was exceptional against the Villans, scoring with a glancing header before winning a late penalty. The Belgian scored his first league goal in over three months, and will be hoping to carry on with another strong performance against Brighton.
Expected Chelsea line-up (3-4-2-1) vs Brighton
