Kante, Silva And Werner To Start, Kovacic And Ziyech Out: Chelsea’s Predicted XI To Play Tottenham

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3 years ago

Categories: Chelsea News, Galleries, Match Previews

Tags: Chelsea, N'Golo Kante, Spurs, Thiago Silva

After overcoming a stubborn Zenit St Petersburg side in the Champions League during the week, Chelsea’s attentions now turn towards the London derby against Spurs on Sunday.

It’s likely that Tottenham will also sit deep and play on the counter-attack, as they did during their opening day win over Manchester City, so Thomas Tuchel’s side will have to be careful that they are not picked off.

The Blues are expected to have N’Golo Kante back in contention, with the Frenchman having returned to training following an ankle injury.

Press the next page as we predict Chelsea’s starting lineup for the game this weekend.

GK – Edouard Mendy

The Senegalese international keeps racking up the clean sheets after getting another shutout against Zenit. He had to make one early save but, other than that, he was very much a spectator.

Mendy may have more to do on Sunday, but the fact that he is in such formidable form, you wouldn’t bet against him keeping out the opposition once again.

RWB – Reece James

Had a quiet return to the side in midweek, and he will be expected to produce a lot more going forward than he did versus Zenit.

However, James has had a very good start to the season, with one goal and two assists from four appearances, and he will want to carry that form with him to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

CB – Cesar Azpilicueta

The Spaniard can always be relied upon defensively but he showed what he can do going forward with the superb cross for Romelu Lukaku’s header on Tuesday night.

Azpilicueta’s experience and leadership are invaluable to the Blues and he will play a key role in keeping the likes of Harry Kane at bay this weekend.

CB – Thiago Silva

This is a difficult call. Silva put in a very good display versus Aston Villa last week, but Andreas Christensen came back into the fold for the Zenit game and showed his credentials too.

Silva might just be given the nod considering he will be going up against Kane, who did not score in either match against him last season.

CB – Antonio Rudiger

Continues to impress after another standout performance against Zenit and it appears Tuchel will play him in every game he is available this season.

For that reason alone, it is unsurprising that Rudiger is demanding a sizeable wage rise in his contract negotiations with the club. Fans will be hoping that the two sides can come to an agreement.

LWB – Marcos Alonso

The Zenit match was the perfect opportunity for Tuchel to give Ben Chilwell a runout but he chose to keep faith with Alonso, so the Spaniard is expected to start once more on Sunday.

It wasn’t the best performance from the 30-year-old in midweek but, it appears that only an injury will keep him out of the starting eleven now.

CM – Jorginho

The Italian looked solid both with and without the ball on Tuesday and you cannot see him being replaced by Saul Niguez, like he was for the Villa game.

This is a big game against Tottenham so the Blues will be looking for their big players to perform. Jorginho has certainly shown over the last six months he will step up to the plate.

CM – N’Golo Kante

As we mentioned, Kante is back in training and, from the sound of things, he has been taking part in sessions for a number of days so he should be fit to start this weekend.

Mateo Kovacic has done nothing wrong in the Frenchman’s absence so there will be some who will think that the Croatian international should keep his place.

RW – Mason Mount

Returned to the starting lineup during the week, but it wasn’t the best performance from the England international. He will be looking to spark back into life against Spurs.

Mount is a big game player, much like Jorginho and Rudiger, so you would expect Tuchel to keep him in the eleven for this one.

CF – Romelu Lukaku

Not much more needs to be said about the Belgian. His goals will be crucial throughout the course of the campaign, and it would be a surprise if he isn’t on the scoresheet versus Tottenham.

Lukaku is a world-class striker and if you give him opportunities to score, he will put the ball in the back of the net.

LW – Timo Werner

Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz have been flat in recent matches and, with Christian Pulisic still sidelined, this may be a good time to put Werner back in the team.

It will be interesting to see how he links up with Lukaku. Both have flourished whilst playing alongside strike partners in the past so why not see how they play alongside each other?