James, Lukaku And Saul Niguez To Start, Havertz And Mount Out: Chelsea’s Predicted XI To Face Luton

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2 years ago

Categories: Chelsea News, Galleries, Match Previews

Tags: Chelsea, Luton Town, Reece James, Romelu Lukaku

Chelsea played very well in the Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool at the weekend, and Blues boss Thomas Tuchel will want to see that level of performance from his players in every match going forward.

They will be facing very different opponents in the form of Luton Town in the FA Cup fifth round tomorrow night but the Hatters should not be underestimated.

Nathan Jones’ side are currently sitting sixth in the Championship table after six wins in their last eight games, so the match at Kenilworth Road won’t be a walk in the park.

Saying that, though, Chelsea will still have to rotate after playing 120 minutes on Sunday. Press the next page as we name our predicted lineup for the game.

GK – Kepa Arrizabalaga

Tuchel’s decision to send the Spaniard on for the penalty shootout against Liverpool did backfire, but the keeper has been in good form this season.

For that reason, Tuchel will have few worries about sticking Kepa back in goal for the FA Cup clash tomorrow.

RB – Reece James

The fullback played just over an hour in the cup final, following Cesar Azpilicueta’s injury, which is probably more than he expected after returning from a two-month layoff due to a hamstring injury.

Tuchel will probably want to give James another runout here, but he is unlikely to play the whole match, with a tough league clash versus Burnley coming up on Saturday.

CB – Trevoh Chalobah

Andreas Christensen would have been favourite to start this game, but an Achilles injury means he is a serious doubt heading into the FA Cup tie.

With Thiago Silva likely to be rested, it means Chalobah may well be given another chance to shine, after doing a decent job at Wembley.

CB – Antonio Rudiger

The German is rarely taken out of the starting lineup and his experience will be needed in what is likely to be a lively atmosphere at Kenilworth Road.

Rudiger’s personality and leadership qualities make him the perfect fit for this match, especially if Tuchel does opt to rest Thiago Silva ahead of the Burnley game.

LB – Malang Sarr

The Frenchman hasn’t always looked comfortable playing as a fullback, but a switch to a back four is expected for the FA Cup tie, and nobody wants Marcos Alonso playing in a deeper role.

Sarr can do a job for his team tomorrow and he is unlikely to be up against a winger anyway, with Luton set to start with a 3-5-2 formation.

CM – Ruben Loftus-Cheek

The 26-year-old has barely featured in recent weeks, with his substitute appearance against Crystal Palace his only game time since mid-January.

Loftus-Cheek will be keen to make an impression when they face lower league opposition tomorrow, with the aim to get back into Tuchel’s first-team plans.

CM – Jorginho

The Italian only came on during extra time at the weekend, so you would have to think he’ll be one of the first names on the teamsheet for the Luton game.

Jorginho is unlikely to get much time in possession at Kenilworth Road. It’s a small ground with a small pitch and the priority will be to make sure he isn’t caught on the ball.

CM – Saul Niguez

The Spaniard’s move to England simply hasn’t worked out for whatever reason. He has looked better in recent outings but, the fact is, he simply isn’t rated by Tuchel.

One minute of league action since December tells you all you need to know about where Niguez fits in the pecking order, but he will likely get a runout tomorrow.

RW – Christian Pulisic

The American international started against Liverpool on Sunday but he was taken off after 74 minutes so he could be in line to start tomorrow.

With Mason Mount likely to be rested and Hakim Ziyech still out injured, Pulisic may get another chance to shine against Luton.

CF – Romelu Lukaku

The Belgian did make an impact after coming on in the Carabao Cup final, and he was very unlucky to have a goal chalked off for offside in extra time.

With that being the case, Lukaku will probably be given the nod to start up front tomorrow evening ahead of Kai Havertz.

LW – Timo Werner

This position is a toss-up between the German and Callum Hudson-Odoi. Both have their pros and cons but, as Hudson-Odoi started in the last round versus Plymouth, we’ll give the starting berth to Werner this time.

The forward should get some joy against Luton’s back three and we shall see if he is able to get on the scoresheet, having not scored in any competition since the FA Cup third-round tie against Chesterfield back in early January.