Kante, Werner And Chilwell In; Kovacic, Havertz And Alonso Out: Chelsea’s Predicted XI To Face Liverpool

David Tully

3 years ago

Categories: Chelsea News, Galleries, Match Previews

Tags: Ben Chilwell, Chelsea, Liverpool, N'Golo Kante, timo werner

Chelsea will be very confident heading into their match against Liverpool this weekend after putting Arsenal to the sword at the Emirates last time out.

Thomas Tuchel’s side looked like title contenders as they easily dispatched the Gunners and they will they want to put down another marker at Anfield on Saturday.

The Reds have started well themselves, with two wins from two, but their backline has not been tested yet. Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip have only recently returned from long-term injuries and they will be given a stern test by Chelsea’s lethal attack.

Press the next page as we predict Chelsea’s starting eleven to face Liverpool.

GK – Edouard Mendy

The 29-year-old didn’t have a lot to do against Arsenal but he performed well when called upon, clearing his lines when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang got in behind, as well as saving a long-range effort from Bukayo Saka.

Mendy will undoubtedly be busier at Anfield, but he will not be phased by the intense atmosphere generated by the home crowd.

RWB – Reece James

The 21-year-old was superb at the Emirates, setting up Romelu Lukaku’s opener, as well as getting on the scoresheet himself.

It was surprising to hear earlier in the summer that Tuchel was seriously considering converting James into a right-sided centre-back, especially as his game is perfectly suited for the wingback role.

CB – Cesar Azpilicueta

After watching on as Trevoh Chalobah took all the headlines in the opening weeks of the season, the club captain was reinstated for a big game and he didn’t disappoint.

Azpilicueta dealt well with the threat posed by Bukayo Saka and made some telling tackles and interceptions throughout the 90 minutes.

CB – Andreas Christensen

The Dane knows he can’t afford to put in a below-par performance, with Thiago Silva waiting to come in if he makes any mistakes or loses his form.

Christensen looks very much at home in the middle of the back three and cleared his lines consistently to help keep a clean sheet against the Gunners.

CB – Antonio Rudiger

The German didn’t always look comfortable when Arsenal countered on the Blues, particularly in the second half, but he didn’t really put a foot wrong.

Rudiger will need to deal with the challenge posed by Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold at the weekend if Chelsea are to get a good result.

LWB – Ben Chilwell

Marcos Alonso going up against Mo Salah would be a huge mismatch, and while the Spaniard has been good in the opening weeks of the season, Tuchel may have to consider dropping him.

Chilwell will be ring rusty, but he is much better defensively than Alonso and should be able to cope better with Liverpool’s threat down the left-hand side.

CM – Jorginho

The Italian had a relatively quiet day at the office last Sunday and didn’t have much success with his trademark through balls.

However, with Liverpool playing a much higher defensive line than Arsenal, Jorginho should get some joy with his passes in behind on Saturday.

CM – N’Golo Kante

The Frenchman came off the bench against the Gunners last weekend so you can assume that he will be fit and ready to start the game at Anfield.

Mateo Kovacic has been solid in Kante’s absence but having the World Cup winner back in the heart of midfield will give Thomas Tuchel’s side more control over the match.

RW – Mason Mount

Got an assist for the second goal against Arsenal, and he was a constant threat down the right flank, linking up particularly well with James and Lukaku.

Liverpool could select Kostas Tsimikas ahead of Andy Robertson at left-back and the Greek international may be a player that Mount could exploit, considering the fullback’s lack of Premier League experience.

CF – Romelu Lukaku

As the £97.5m signing said himself after his scoring debut on Sunday, it was a “dominant” performance from the striker; one which will strike fear into opposition defences.

Lukaku will be relishing the challenge of coming up against Virgil van Dijk this weekend. It is part of the reason why he was keen to come back to the Premier League.

LW – Timo Werner

While Kai Havertz didn’t do a lot wrong at the Emirates, Tuchel may consider Werner’s pace as a huge asset against Liverpool’s high line on Saturday.

The German forward caused the Reds all sorts of problems back in March, and with the added threat of Lukaku, it could prove to be a lethal combination.