Possible Chelsea Starting XI Against QPR

Chelsea will be looking to get back to winning ways in the Premier League when they take on Queens Park Rangers at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Last week, the Blues conceded deep into stoppage-time against Manchester United to come away from Old Trafford with only one point. Despite this, Chelsea are comfortably perched at the top of the table, 4 points ahead of second-placed Southampton.

QPR, on the other hand, lifted themselves off the bottom of the table with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Monday night. This victory will come as a big confidence-booster for Harry Redknapp’s side, as they look to survive their first season back in the Premier League.

The last time these two sides met at Stamford Bridge, QPR produced one of the biggest shocks ever in the league by pulling off a spectacular 1-0 win. Former Blue Shaun Wright-Phillips scored the match-winner, but despite this stunning victory, QPR couldn’t avoid relegation later on in the season.

There are some very encouraging signs for Chelsea in this game with regards to team news. Jose Mourinho has confirmed that both midfielder Ramires and striker Diego Costa are available for selection. While it is unlikely that the former will feature from the start, it is highly probable that the latter will. Costa, despite missing the last two league fixtures, is still the joint top-scorer in the division with 9 goals. His return will be a big boost for both the Chelsea fans and players.

The Blues’ midweek Capital One Cup tie took them to Shrewsbury Town. Andre Schurrle and Mohamed Salah were both given starts and opportunities to prove themselves. The duo though, had extremely poor outings, leading Mourinho to say that they had made his team selection for the weekend extremely easy.

Cesar Azpilicueta serves the last of his three-match suspension, and therefore, Filipe Luis will once again feature at left-back.

Here is the possible Chelsea starting XI against QPR on Saturday:

Prediction:

Even though a shock is never to far away in the Premier League, it is very difficult to see any result other than a Chelsea win in this one. It is a perfect chance for the Blues to have the perfect game, with Diego Costa getting back on the scoresheet and the defence keeping a clean-sheet, their first in 3 matches.

Chelsea 3-0 Queens Park Rangers