Chelsea handed triple injury boost ahead of Burnley trip

Chelsea will be looking to cement their top four place in the table when they take on Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon.

The Blues booked their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a 3-2 comeback victory over Luton Town on Wednesday night. Romelu Lukaku scored the winner after Chelsea twice came from behind at Kenilworth Road.

However, Chelsea will be fully focussed on Premier League matters this weekend as they look to tighten their grip on a Champions League qualification place.

Thomas Tuchel’s men currently sit third in the table, but with the chasing pack breathing down their neck, Chelsea need a win over Burnley tomorrow afternoon to cement their place in the top four.

Team News

Chelsea have been handed a triple injury boost with Hakim Ziyech, Thiago Silva and Trevoh Chalobah set to return to action this weekend.

Ziyech missed the win over Luton with a calf problem while Silva and Chalobah also sat out the FA Cup tie due to minor knocks. However, Thomas Tuchel has confirmed the trio are back in full training and in contention to face Burnley.

Reece James also stepped-up his comeback with another substitute appearance in midweek so the England international is also pushing for a start at Turf Moor tomorrow.

However, Cesar Azpilicueta is still not back in training due to a knock so the Spaniard is set to miss out this weekend along with Ben Chilwell – who’s out for the season with a knee injury.

Tuchel told Chelseafc.com:

‘We have no fresh injuries. I still have to talk to the fitness coaches and the doctors after this press conference.

‘Azpi was not in training yesterday so this will be a bit too close unfortunately for him.’

‘Hakim was in training yesterday and seems good so hopefully he can come back,’ added Tuchel. ‘Reece James also did training so no problems or reactions so far after his two matches.

‘The guys who were not with us in Luton Town because of minor injuries like Trevoh Chalobah and Thiago Silva were back in training yesterday and seem fine so good to go.’

Andreas Christensen could also be back in the Chelsea squad after training today following a calf injury so Tuchel will have a strong group to choose from.

Expected line-ups

Burnley: Pope; Roberts, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor; Lennon, Westwood, Brownhill, McNeil; Weghorst, Cornet

Chelsea: Mendy; Chalobah, Silva, Rudiger; James, Kovacic, Kante, Alonso; Havertz, Lukaku, Mount

Prediction

Burnley 0-2 Chelsea: Burnley are fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table so you’d expect them to be up for this one. However, Chelsea have such a strong squad and they’ll be confident of taking away three points.

Lukaku is capable of dealing with the physical Burnley defenders and should cause them plenty of problems. We’re backing the Blues to secure a routine 2-0 win tomorrow.