Havertz, Pulisic And Mudryk To Start; Sterling And Kovacic Out: Chelsea’s Predicted XI To Take On Arsenal

Frank Lampard’s return to the Chelsea dugout has been nothing but an unmitigated disaster so far.

In a similar vein to predecessor Graham Potter, he has been unable to fashion a team from a large group of individuals and the performance against Brentford last week was woeful.

Things are unlikely to improve much when the Blues take on Arsenal on Tuesday evening, although the Gunners are not exactly having the best of times at the moment themselves.

Press the next page as we predict Chelsea’s starting lineup for the game at the Emirates.

GK – Kepa Arrizabalaga

Lampard continues to keep faith with the Spaniard, and it is now looking more and more certain that Edouard Mendy has played his last game for the club.

Other than picking the ball out of the net, Kepa didn’t have a lot to do against Brentford, although his kicking did leave a lot to be desired.

The 28-year-old will probably be called into action a lot more against Arsenal, though.

RWB – Christian Pulisic

With Reece James out for the season, and Cesar Azpilicueta not the most attack-minded of wingbacks, Lampard may as well try something bolder.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek would probably be the other alternative but Pulisic has also played the position before, in the defeat to Brighton back in October.

Whether the American is good enough defensively to play the role, it is doubtful, but Chelsea desperately need more attack-minded players out on the pitch so why not give it a go?

CB – Wesley Fofana

The defender actually stood up well to the challenge of Ivan Toney but he will be extremely disappointed in the part he played in Brentford’s second goal.

Fofana was turned far too easily by Bryan Mbeumo, who slotted the ball past Kepa. He is still a young player, though, and he can’t let one mistake damage his confidence.

The Frenchman will have his hands full on Tuesday, as he could come up against either Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard.

CB – Thiago Silva

The Brazilian found himself pressing in the opposition half before Brentford’s second goal last week.

When you got such an experienced player like Silva doing that, it kind of tells you all you need to know about the lack of organisation under Lampard.

The 38-year-old is staying for one more season but he will be keen to put this campaign behind him as quickly as possible.

CB – Benoit Badiashile

Lampard opted to pick Trevoh Chalobah as the left centre-back on Wednesday, ahead of Badiashile, which left many supporters scratching their heads.

After switching to a back four, Chalobah looked more comfortable but you can’t see the Blues going with a similar system at the Emirates.

Badiashile, Silva and Fofana should be selected as the three-man defence for the rest of the season so they can build a better understanding with one another.

LWB – Ben Chilwell

The 26-year-old was probably one of the few players who did very little wrong against Brentford.

Chilwell clearly prefers playing as a wingback, as it allows him to get further forward and deliver balls into the penalty box.

The defender will be going up against Bukayo Saka and Ben White on Tuesday, though, so he may have his work cut out defensively.

CM – N’Golo Kante

The Frenchman is gradually getting back to his best, and he grew into the game against Brentford, although he did lack the intensity and ferociousness we have come to expect from him.

After nearly seven months on the treatment table, though, it was always going to take some time for Kante to rediscover his top level.

The 32-year-old will, hopefully, make a good impression at the Emirates, where he will have a battle on his hands wrestling control of the midfield from the likes of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka.

CM – Enzo Fernandez

The Argentine was rather subdued against Brentford and it’s pretty telling that he is gone off the boil since the arrival of Lampard.

At least under Potter, Fernandez was given a clear role, but he doesn’t really seem to know what his responsibilities are with Lampard.

The 22-year-old was pretty wasteful in possession, which is uncharacteristic, and his only notable contribution was a shot in the first half.

AM – Joao Felix

The Portuguese international can be very frustrating to watch as he often makes the wrong choices in possession.

However, Felix does make things happen. He can dribble past opposing defenders and he commits players, opening up the space for others.

With the Blues struggling so badly in the final third of the pitch, it’s somewhat surprising that Lampard has chosen to bench him recently.

CF – Kai Havertz

Lampard has confirmed that the German international has recovered from a knee injury in time for the Arsenal fixture.

Considering Havertz is the club’s top goalscorer this season, you would expect him to be recalled to the starting eleven for the match at the Emirates.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also has a case for starting, having made a decent cameo last week, but you’d back Havertz to get the nod.

CF – Mykhailo Mudryk

The Ukrainian looked lively against Brentford, using his pace to win a few free kicks and putting in some threatening crosses from set pieces.

You do feel that Mudryk needs a preseason, and a number of weeks of coaching under a new manager, to get up to speed.

The raw materials are there for him to succeed in the Premier League but supporters will be keen to see an end product.