Fofana, Kovacic And Mudryk To Start, Silva And Ziyech Out: Chelsea’s Predicted XI To Play Leeds

Along with the Borussia Dortmund game, Saturday’s clash against Leeds really looks to be make or break for Chelsea boss Graham Potter.

Pressure is mounting on the manager and he desperately needs a couple of results to go his way to stop the board from being forced into sacking him.

The Blues will be taking on a Leeds team who won their last league encounter but suffered a disappointing exit to Fulham in the FA Cup midweek. They are still mired in a relegation battle and Chelsea SHOULD have the quality to get the three points.

Press the next page as we predict who will be in the starting lineup at Stamford Bridge this weekend.

GK – Kepa Arrizabalaga

The Spaniard should have done a lot better with Tottenham’s first goal after getting a good hand on Oliver Skipp’s long-range strike.

With Edouard Mendy still out with a broken finger, though, Kepa doesn’t really have any competition for his place so he will start against Leeds.

Hopefully, Chelsea will put in a dominant performance and the keeper won’t have much to do.

RB – Reece James

The fullback is clearly seen as a leader by manager Graham Potter, having been handed the captain’s armband after Thiago Silva went off injured against Spurs.

James has yet to really hit the heights we know he can since his return from injury but, if he captains the team on Saturday, hopefully it will inspire him.

The 23-year-old can be outstanding in the final third of the pitch and it would be great to see more attacking intent from him versus Leeds.

CB – Wesley Fofana

The Frenchman has come on as a substitute in Chelsea’s last two fixtures and he has looked very impressive.

With Silva now sidelined for up to six weeks with a knee problem, Fofana could take advantage of the Brazilian’s absence to establish himself as a regular starter.

It has been a very difficult first season at the club for the centre-back due to fitness problems but he will be aiming to stay free of injury between now and the end of the campaign.

CB – Kalidou Koulibaly

To be honest, Benoit Badiashile would probably be more deserving of a starting opportunity than the Senegalese international.

However, it would be a big call for Potter to start both the 21-year-old and his fellow countryman Fofana due to their lack of experience.

Koulibaly needs to take on more leadership now Silva is sidelined so it will be hoped that he steps up to the plate.

LB – Ben Chilwell

The fullback didn’t do an awful lot wrong at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and he is now finding his match sharpness.

Chilwell has had more joy going forward than James in recent matches, and his overlapping runs should cause Leeds a few problems.

The link-up play with Sterling was pretty decent last weekend but he will also have to improve his combination play with Mudryk.

CM – Mateo Kovacic

The Croatian was sidelined for the Spurs game due to illness but he should be back in contention to start on Saturday.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek didn’t make an impression at all last time out, while Denis Zakaria also failed to make an impact from the bench.

That would suggest Kovacic would be favourite to come back in and partner Enzo Fernandez in the middle of the park.

CM – Enzo Fernandez

The Argentine will be disappointed with his contribution to Tottenham’s opening goal. It was a poor clearance so he must take his share of the blame for Chelsea conceding.

Other than that, though, Fernandez played well, controlling possession in midfield and dictating play.

The Blues are not passing the ball around with a great deal of pace so Fernandez may need to try and instill more tempo into the match this weekend.

AM – Joao Felix

The 23-year-old does tend to go missing in games and that happened in the second half against Spurs.

Potter needs to be on Felix’s case to ensure he puts in a 90-minute performance, rather than just a 45 or 60-minute one.

Considering he plays in such a pivotal position, the Blues cannot afford for him to drift in and out of matches. If he is going to be the team’s main creative force, he has to maintain his best levels.

RW – Raheem Sterling

The England international was the Blues’ main attacking threat last Sunday, using his pace and dribbling ability to go at Tottenham’s defence.

One of the main issues at the moment, though, is that Sterling is not always on the same wavelength as his teammates.

Unfortunately, the only way that can be solved is if they play more matches together, so patience may be required.

ST – Kai Havertz

Potter gave up on the David Datro Fofana experiment after 45 minutes against Southampton, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang only returned to the bench last weekend.

Whether Aubameyang will get another shot as a starter, we shall have to wait and see, but the good money is on Havertz keeping his place.

The German continues to link up play pretty well but he has no striker’s instinct whatsoever and that means he is a limited threat to the opposition.

LW – Mykhailo Mudryk

The Ukrainian has had a very difficult start to life at Stamford Bridge, and the fact that he only got a cameo appearance off the bench last weekend suggests he doesn’t have Potter’s confidence at the moment.

However, after Hakim Ziyech put in a shocking performance against Tottenham and, with Mason Mount out of form, Mudryk could get another chance to impress.

Noni Madueke would be the other main alternative but, after spending £88m on a player like Mudryk, you need to give him a good run of games!