Kante, Sarr, Loftus Cheek And Werner To Start; Silva And Pulisic Out: Chelsea’s Predicted XI To Play Leicester

David Tully

2 years ago

Categories: Chelsea News, Galleries, Match Previews

Tags: Chelsea, Leicester, Malang Sarr, N'Golo Kante

Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle on Monday night means Chelsea’s place in the top four has been secured.

It means that there won’t be much riding on the match against Leicester on Thursday evening, with Champions League qualification in the bag.

Whether that will lead manager Thomas Tuchel into making a host of changes, we shall have to wait and see, but it’s likely that a few players who picked up knocks in the FA Cup final last weekend won’t be featuring.

Press the next page as we predict Chelsea’s starting lineup for the game versus Leicester.

GK – Edouard Mendy

There could be an argument for Kepa starting this game but it may be the case that the Spaniard is selected for the final match of the season against Watford instead.

Mendy put in another standout performance in the cup final, and the Senegalese international was very unlucky to be on the losing side.

RWB – Reece James

Was dangerous with his crosses against Liverpool, and he also helped Chalobah out on a number of occasions to keep the Reds at bay.

James has slowly been getting back to his best since recovering from his hamstring problems, and there isn’t any real need to rest him against Leicester, considering the time he has spent out on the treatment table this season.

CB – Trevoh Chalobah

It is believed that the 22-year-old was a late call-up to start at Wembley after Andreas Christensen controversially made himself unavailable.

Chalobah found things difficult early on against Luis Diaz in the cup final but he grew into the game, and he deserves another chance on Thursday.

CB – Antonio Rudiger

Thiago Silva played the majority of the Liverpool game with a knee injury after picking up the problem very early on at Wembley.

Considering he was pictured limping heavily after the match on Saturday, it would be a surprise if the Brazilian was available for selection. Rudiger may have to be moved infield, with Christensen not expected to play for the club again.

CB – Malang Sarr

The Frenchman has not looked that convincing when given opportunities in recent months but part of that is down to how irregular his opportunities have been in the starting eleven.

Sarr will likely be facing James Maddison, who is expected to cut into central areas, rather than giving him any trouble in behind, so the defender should have a slightly easier night.

LWB – Marcos Alonso

The Spaniard was one of Chelsea’s main attacking outlets in the cup final and, considering he did have a fallout with Tuchel very recently, it’s surprising to see him put in such a good performance.

Alonso is likely to rampage up and down the left flank at Stamford Bridge once again versus the Foxes. He may well have a lot of space to run into, with Maddison unlikely to track back.

CM – N’Golo Kante

Mateo Kovacic played with a swollen ankle on Saturday so the Croatian probably won’t be risked again in the final two league fixtures, especially with Champions League qualification now wrapped up.

Kante has recovered from his own injury issues so the 31-year-old will be in the line for a recall on Thursday night.

CM – Ruben Loftus-Cheek

The midfielder was subbed after coming on as a substitute in the cup final, which isn’t something you want to happen, but Tuchel explained he was planning ahead for the penalty shootout.

After performing well when given starts in recent weeks, the Leicester game may be another chance for Loftus-Cheek to impress in his favoured position.

AM – Mason Mount

The 23-year-old was on the end of a lot of unjustified criticism following his miss in the penalty shootout at the weekend but Tuchel will be keen for the player to bounce back quickly.

Lingering on the cup final defeat won’t help Mount’s mental state so he should be thrown back in straight away so he can regain some confidence.

CF – Romelu Lukaku

With Kai Havertz sidelined with a hamstring problem, it looks as though the Belgian will be given the rest of the season to lead the line.

Lukaku will have to do a lot better than he did against Liverpool, though. He failed, once again, to live up to his £97.5m price tag. A goal or two against the Foxes may help his cause if he wants to remain a Chelsea player.

CF – Timo Werner

The German had a minor muscular problem that prevented him from playing any part in the cup final, so he should be fit and raring to go for Thursday.

Werner may replace Christian Pulisic, who looked lively in the final third on Saturday, but the American was wasteful with his finishing.