Christopher Nkunku And Marcus Bettinelli To Start; Cole Palmer On The Bench: Chelsea’s Predicted XI To Face Preston

Chelsea may have secured the three points against Luton Town last Saturday, but they nearly threw the game away as their opponents almost mounted a comeback from 3-0 down.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino will try to take the positives from the performance but there is definitely a lot of work to do with this team.

Even so, the Blues will be strong favourites to beat Championship side Preston North End at home in the FA Cup this weekend.

Press the next page as we predict Chelsea’s starting lineup for the match on Saturday evening.

GK – Marcus Bettinelli

With Djordje Petrovic having played a lot of football in Robert Sanchez’s absence over the past month, the Serbian may get a rest this weekend.

Bettinelli hasn’t made a single appearance this season but he has usually been selected in the early rounds of the domestic cups over the past couple of years.

The 31-year-old didn’t get a chance to play in the Carabao Cup fixtures against AFC Wimbledon, Brighton and Blackburn Rovers due to a knee injury.

However, Pochettino may decide to give him a game against Preston, when he should have a pretty quiet evening.

RB – Malo Gusto

There have been some calls for Alfie Gilchrist to be given his full debut.

Pochettino handed the 20-year-old cameos in the last two fixtures against Crystal Palace and Luton Town at right-back.

However, Gilchrist is more comfortable as a centre-half so you would expect Gusto to keep his place for this weekend.

The Frenchman has been in very good form in recent weeks and he deserves another run out.

CB – Axel Disasi

The 25-year-old has proven more reliable than most at the back this season.

Pochettino seems to trust Disasi as well, as the France international has only failed to start two matches in all competitions.

With that being the case, you would expect him to be named in the starting eleven on Saturday.

When you consider that Thiago Silva will likely be rested, and Wesley Fofana is still injured, there are not many other options to choose from anyway.

CB – Benoit Badiashile

As mentioned already, Silva is not expected to start against Preston, with the 39-year-old needing to rest his legs.

Levi Colwill could be considered as an option but, with Marc Cucurella injured and Ben Chilwell not ready to start after a lengthy spell out injured, the 20-year-old is needed at left-back.

It means Badiashile is set to be recalled despite being left out of the matchday squad entirely for the win over Luton.

The defender has struggled badly in recent appearances and it will be hoped that he can put in an improved performance against Championship opposition.

LB – Levi Colwill

Ben Chilwell has been pictured back in full training this week but, after spending over 3 months on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, Pochettino will want to reintroduce him slowly to first-team games.

It is likely that the England international will be named on the bench this weekend, with the aim being that he gets some minutes as a substitute in the second half.

Ironically, Chilwell is just getting back to fitness right at the time that Colwill is getting used to playing at left-back.

He put in a decent performance against Luton Town and he will look to build on that versus Preston.

CM – Moises Caicedo

Lesley Ugochukwu is out with a hamstring injury, Alex Matos is set to join Huddersfield on loan, and Carney Chukwuemeka has only just made a return to training after four and a half months out with a knee problem.

It means Pochettino has no option but to select Caicedo from the start once again, unless he decides to give another academy player a chance instead.

The Ecuadorian international has steadily improved his form in recent games, and he performed well when breaking up play in the win over Luton.

There will be more focus on what Caicedo can do in possession against Preston, with the away side expected to sit back and soak up pressure.

CM – Enzo Fernandez

The midfielder made his return as a substitute versus Luton after recovering from a sports hernia.

In order to build up his fitness, you would expect Pochettino to hand Fernandez a start on Saturday evening.

Neither Caicedo nor Fernandez will be expected to last the full game, though, with the Blues facing Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg midweek.

Even so, the two midfielders may get 55 to 60 minutes under their belts in the FA Cup.

AM – Christopher Nkunku

It wasn’t a surprise to see the 26-year-old start on the bench last weekend.

Pochettino is right to be cautious with Nkunku’s fitness, and the last thing he needs is the Frenchman picking up a muscular injury having played too much, too soon.

Still, he may get some more minutes against Preston, with Cole Palmer the one who could be rested instead ahead of the Middlesbrough match.

With Nkunku in the team, you would hope that he can unlock North End’s tightly packed defence.

RW – Raheem Sterling

The winger was an unused substitute at Kenilworth Road so there is a very good chance that he will face Preston.

Sterling may be Chelsea’s 3rd top scorer this season (with 6 goals) but he could arguably have scored plenty more if he had put away the chances that he has been presented with.

While Preston are unlikely to make things easy for the Blues on Saturday night, their defence isn’t exactly watertight, having conceded 44 times in 26 league matches this campaign.

For that reason, you would expect a player with Sterling’s quality to carve them open.

CF – Armando Broja

With Nicolas Jackson away at the African Cup of Nations, it is up to the Albanian international to lead the line for the next 4 to 6 weeks.

Broja didn’t really impress against Luton during his 60 minutes on the pitch, as he struggled to hold up the ball.

The 22-year-old can be a real handful for opposing defences when he is at his best and he has now got a run of games to build up some momentum and prove that he deserves a regular starting spot.

If Broja can get on the scoresheet this weekend, it will do his confidence a world of good.

LW – Mykhailo Mudryk

The Ukrainian will be frustrated that an ankle injury kept him from starting last Saturday.

After putting in a good performance in his previous match against Crystal Palace, Mudryk would have wanted to carry that momentum into the Luton game.

As it was, he wasn’t even risked off the bench at Kenilworth Road, but he should be fit and ready to face Preston.

Mudryk’s pace and direct running will give Chelsea’s Championship opponents all sorts of problems this weekend.