Cucurella To Start, Fofana Out And Kante On the Bench: Chelsea’s Predicted XI To Take On Wolves

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2 years ago

Categories: Chelsea News, Galleries, Match Previews

Tags: Chelsea, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Wolves

After a couple of morale-boosting wins against Crystal Palace and AC Milan over the past week, fans will be confident that Chelsea will be able to secure another three points versus Wolves this weekend.

The Midlands club sacked Bruno Lage after the 2-0 defeat to West Ham, so they are not exactly in great shape ahead of the fixture at Stamford Bridge.

Blues boss Graham Potter will be keen to build some momentum and you would think that he won’t be making too many changes from the starting eleven that put three goals past Milan on Wednesday evening.

Press the next page as we predict Chelsea’s lineup to face Wolves.

GK – Kepa Arrizabalaga

The Spaniard kept his place against Milan, despite Edouard Mendy returning to the matchday squad after recovering from a knee injury.

It may suggest that Kepa will be given the gloves for a longer spell. Whether he can take his opportunity to reclaim the number one spot, though, we shall have to wait and see.

RWB – Reece James

The 22-year-old was outstanding midweek with his goal and assist, and he will be looking to replicate that performance on Saturday.

James thrives playing as a wingback and he will be hoping that Potter keeps with a back five in upcoming fixtures.

CB – Kalidou Koulibaly

The Senegalese international was handed his first start under Potter versus Milan, and he looked much more comfortable and composed on the ball. Whether that is due to the slower pace in the Champions League, we shall soon find out.

Due to Wesley Fofana’s knee injury, we may see Koulibaly switch to the right side of the back three for the match against Wolves.

CB – Thiago Silva

The Brazilian will need to be given a rest at some point, as it’s unlikely that the 38-year-old’s body will cope with a full 90 minutes every few days.

Whether Silva will be benched by Potter for the Wolves match, it remains to be seen, but he is a key defender and you wouldn’t be surprised if he stays in the eleven this weekend.

CB – Marc Cucurella

The defender has missed the last two games due to illness but he was pictured back in full training earlier this week so he will be in contention to start versus Wolves.

With Fofana injured, Potter will need to change the composition of the back three and we could see Cucurella come back into the eleven as a centre-back.

LWB – Ben Chilwell

The England international’s final ball sometimes lets him down, but he didn’t do anything wrong defensively against Milan so he should keep his place on Saturday.

It will be interesting to see whether Potter favours Cucurella on the left flank going forward but there is a case to be made that both players can co-exist in the same team.

CM – Ruben Loftus-Cheek

As we have mentioned before, Potter is a big fan of box-to-box midfielders who can cover ground out of possession, as well as being press-resistant on the ball. That’s why it wasn’t a total surprise that Loftus-Cheek played against Milan.

The 26-year-old took his opportunity with both hands on Wednesday, and he will likely feature pretty prominently in upcoming matches if he can stay fit.

CM – Mateo Kovacic

Like with Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic will be a key player for Potter, although he will need to improve his passing after some poor distribution midweek.

N’Golo Kante is back available and the Frenchman may be fit to take his place on the bench for Wolves but you would back Kovacic to keep his position in the lineup.

RW – Mason Mount

The 23-year-old was unlucky to have a goal chalked off for offside on Wednesday, and you can see he is trying his very best to get back to the top of his game.

Potter does have other options, such as Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic if he wants to change things up, so Mount knows he will need to do more to keep his place in the side.

ST- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Two goals in two games means the 33-year-old is unlikely to be dropped for the clash against Wolves, although Armando Broja will keep pushing him for a starting spot.

Aubameyang is offering the cutting edge that the Blues were missing before his arrival at the club, so he will be happy with how things have been going so far.

LW – Raheem Sterling

The England international didn’t really have any chances of note against Milan but his work rate and the ability to take on opponents offers the directness that many of Chelsea’s other forwards lack.

Potter has not really given the likes of Pulisic or Ziyech starting opportunities so there is an argument to be made that Wolves could be the game to give them a go, but Sterling is the favourite to retain his place.