Chelsea entertain Arsenal in today’s late Premier League kick-off from Stamford Bridge.
The Blues recently registered a stunning 2-1 comeback win over Manchester City on the road and should be brimming with confidence ahead of the London derby.
The club are comfortably placed to finish in the Champions League places with a six-point gap over fifth-placed West Ham United alongside a superior goal difference.
Despite this, manager Thomas Tuchel has said that he won’t rest players against the Gunners with a view to the FA Cup final against Leicester City at the weekend.
Formation: 3-4-1-2
Predicted Line-up:
Edouard Mendy has had a superb debut campaign for the Blues, registering 16 clean sheets in the Premier League alone.
He is only two shutouts behind City’s Ederson in the race for the Golden Glove. The Senegalese is expected to start in goal for the derby.
With Andreas Christensen sidelined with a muscle injury, it is likely that Thiago Silva will return to the starting line-up after being rested against the Cityzens. He could be accompanied by Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger in the back three.
Reece James produced one of his best performances of the campaign last weekend, where he was hugely impressive with regular overlapping runs. His display should assure him another start at right wing-back.
Ben Chilwell was given a break last weekend. He has been the regular at left wing-back ahead of Marcos Alonso.
Alonso scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner last weekend, but Chilwell is likely to return to the starting line-up.
Jorginho appears set to return to midfield to partner N’Golo Kante. Billy Gilmour earned a rare outing against City, but Tuchel may revert to his regular midfield pair ahead of the FA Cup final. Mateo Kovacic has yet to return to full fitness after a hamstring injury.
Further forward, Mason Mount is likely to feature in the XI after being left out of the travelling squad last weekend. The England international should slot into one of the attacking midfield roles alongside Kai Havertz.
Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech are the likely candidates to drop to the bench ahead of Timo Werner, who has emerged as a regular starter under Tuchel despite misfiring in front of goal this season.
The Germany international has netted just one goal in his previous five league appearances but has been a good creative outlet with three assists to his name, including the one for Alonso’s winner last weekend.
How Chelsea could line up against Arsenal
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
Read: Manchester City v Chelsea – Facts & Stats Ahead Of 2021 Champions League Final.
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