James And Jackson To Start; Mudryk On The Bench: Chelsea’s Predicted XI To Face Brentford

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino will be keen to take the positives from the 2-2 draw against Arsenal.

It was a very good performance from his team and, if they can cut out the individual errors, there is hope that the Blues can go on a long unbeaten run.

This weekend’s opponents Brentford got back to winning ways against Burnley last time out, having failed to secure a league victory since August prior to that match.

Press the next page as we predict Chelsea’s starting lineup for the game at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

GK – Robert Sanchez

It wasn’t the Spaniard’s finest hour against the Gunners.

Sanchez’s wayward pass found Declan Rice who slotted the ball into the back of an empty net, sparking the away side’s comeback.

Chelsea’s No.1 (deservedly) took a lot of flak for the mistake, but Pochettino backed him after the game, so expect him to be in goal once more this weekend.

Undoubtedly, Sanchez will be under a lot of scrutiny, and he will be looking for an error-free 90 minutes.

RB – Reece James

There are some rumours that the Blues captain is still carrying a hamstring injury, despite returning to the pitch against Arsenal last Saturday.

It is believed that James is managing the issue in order to prevent an even longer layoff that would require surgery.

Whether that will prevent the fullback from starting games, we shall see but, after getting 10 minutes from the bench last Saturday, the next stage is for him to start.

The game against Blackburn Rovers in the Carabao Cup may be seen as a better opportunity for James to get the minutes he needs but, there is no reason why he can’t start versus Brentford if he is fit.

CB – Thiago Silva

The Brazilian defender was formidable in the London derby last weekend.

Silva is still at the top of his game despite being 39 years of age. He made clearances, blocked shots and kept the likes of Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus quiet.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t account for the mistakes of his teammates, who were responsible for Chelsea conceding twice in the second half.

Against Brentford, Silva will need to be on the top of his game once again. The Bees may not have Ivan Toney, but Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa have stepped up in his absence.

CB – Levi Colwill

Pochettino chose to start the 20-year-old in his most natural position versus Arsenal due to Axel Disasi’s injury.

Colwill performed well for the most part alongside Silva, and it may convince his manager to play him at centre-back more often.

The England international has the physical characteristics and technical ability to be one of the best defenders in the Premier League.

Playing directly alongside Silva in the centre of defence will only aid his progress as well.

LB – Marc Cucurella

It will be interesting to see whether Pochettino keeps faith with the left-back.

With Ben Chilwell absent, the Chelsea manager has invariably picked Colwill as cover, rather than choose Cucurella, who is a recognised fullback.

However, after impressing on the right flank versus Fulham and Burnley, Pochettino opted to give him a go on the left-hand side versus Arsenal, and the player repaid his faith.

Cucurella was industrious and kept Bukayo Saka quiet for most of the 90 minutes. He is, therefore, likely to keep his place on Saturday.

CM – Moises Caicedo

The Ecuadorian is now beginning to look like the player we saw at Brighton.

There were signs during the international break that Caicedo was getting back to his best, and he performed well on his return to club action last weekend.

Arsenal struggled to get hold of the ball in the first half, and Caicedo’s work rate, alongside Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher, was the main reason for that.

If Caicedo can replicate that display on a regular basis, he will begin to start paying back his British record fee.

CM – Enzo Fernandez

Although the Argentinian international’s performance against the Gunners went somewhat under the radar, he was impressive.

Fernandez is playing slightly deeper than he was at the start of the season and, last Saturday, Pochettino asked him to play in a boxed midfield, with Caicedo, Gallagher and Cole Palmer, to nullify the threat posed by Martin Odegaard.

They gave very little space for Arsenal to play in between the lines, and Fernandez had to be very disciplined in order to implement the tactical ploy successfully. On the ball, the 22-year-old was also excellent and ensured his team kept possession.

Fernandez will, however, need to be a bit more expansive in his game when Chelsea face Brentford on Saturday lunchtime.

AM – Conor Gallagher

The midfielder was arguably the best player on the pitch against Arsenal.

Just looking at the stats from the game, you can see that Gallagher is having an impact in every area of the pitch.

He won 2 tackles, 1 interception, as well as making 4 key passes. The England international is very much a team player, and Pochettino is getting the most out of him.

Based on his recent form, Gallagher fully deserves to be given a new contract.

RW – Cole Palmer

The 21-year-old showed his flexibility by playing as a false nine versus the Gunners.

Arsenal centre-backs Gabriel and William Saliba didn’t know how to handle Palmer, and he excelled coming deep for the ball and laying it off to teammates.

Against Brentford, there won’t be a need for a similar approach so Palmer may be asked to play wide on the right once again.

The England Under 21 international has been excellent since arriving from Manchester City and he will be looking to carry that form into the match on Saturday.

CF – Nicolas Jackson

It may be harsh to drop Mykhailo Mudryk after performing so well against Arsenal but Pochettino will want to have a striker on the pitch against Brentford.

With Armando Broja having suffered another knee injury, Jackson is the only other out-and-out forward that the Blues have in the first-team squad.

The Senegalese international has looked impressive in patches when leading the line, although his finishing is erratic.

Pochettino may give him 60 minutes at the weekend to see what he can do before unleashing Mudryk.

LW – Raheem Sterling

The 28-year-old has looked more and more like the player who performed so well for Manchester City.

Sterling was asked to play from the right against Arsenal and he ripped Oleksandr Zinchenko to shreds, who had to be substituted at halftime.

The winger’s direct running troubles any opponent, but you do get frustrated with his end product at times.

Still, he is Chelsea’s joint top scorer with 3 goals, so you would expect him to face Brentford.