Chelsea travel to the Midlands for Sunday’s Premier League game against Aston Villa.
Graham Potter’s men have won four consecutive matches following the September international break, but they have suffered costly injuries along the way.
In today’s press conference, Potter confirmed that Wesley Fofana won’t return to action until after the World Cup following his knee injury against AC Milan.
N’Golo Kante is also sidelined for the long-term after a fresh hamstring issue while Reece James has gone to see a specialist after a knee problem of his own.
Here is how Chelsea are expected to line-up against Aston Villa:
Goalkeeper: Kepa Arrizabalaga has been gaining confidence with every appearance for Chelsea. He has looked assured in goal for Potter and there does not seem any necessity for him to swap places with Edouard Mendy, who was the first-choice before his rib injury last month.
Defence: Chelsea don’t have much room for rotation with injuries hampering the squad. Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly are expected to maintain their places in central defence. With James out, captain Cesar Azpilicueta should slot into the right wing-back spot and we could see Ben Chilwell being replaced by Marc Cucurella in the left wing-back position.
Midfield: Jorginho has not been at his best in recent times but continues to remain a regular under Potter. The Euro 2020 winner should get the backing once more and he could be paired with Mateo Kovacic, who is the most experienced midfield star in the ranks after Kante.
Attack: Potter played a completely different attack against Wolves last weekend with his regular starters being rested. We don’t see that happening again. Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should make up the front three against Steven Gerrard’s team. Mount has hit a purple patch over the last two outings with three assists while winning a penalty for his club. Aubameyang has also been in fine scoring form, registering a goal in each of his last three appearances. The former Barcelona star has finally hit his strides.
Expected Chelsea line-up against Aston Villa
