Kovacic, Silva And Cucurella To Start, Zakaria And Havertz Out: Chelsea’s Predicted XI To Play Arsenal

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2 years ago

Categories: Chelsea News, Galleries, Match Previews

Tags: Arsenal, Chelsea, Marc Cucurella, Mateo Kovacic

The 2-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday night means Chelsea will head into a big London derby against Arsenal this weekend with their tails up.

After the shock 4-1 defeat to Brighton, the Blues needed a confidence boost, but it didn’t come without a price, with Ben Chilwell sustaining a hamstring injury.

The growing injury list means it is slightly easier than usual to predict what manager Graham Potter may do in terms of the starting lineup, but you wouldn’t put it past him throwing in another curve ball.

Press the next page as we go through our Chelsea eleven to face the Gunners on Sunday.

GK – Edouard Mendy

The 30-year-old couldn’t really do anything with Dinamo’s goal midweek but it was an inauspicious start to the evening and he will be keen to show Potter he is worthy of keeping his first-team place.

Kepa is expected to be sidelined again for the Arsenal game and Mendy will know he may only have a limited time to impress in order to retain his starting position.

RWB – Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Putting Cesar Azpilicueta directly up against Gabriel Martinelli in a back four would be a recipe for disaster so a switch to a three-man backline is likely.

With Reece James still out injured, Loftus-Cheek may be called upon to play out of position once again. He did not cover himself in glory with his own goal versus Brighton so he will be looking to improve this weekend.

CB – Trevoh Chalobah

After a testing match at the Amex, Chalobah had a far easier time of things against Dinamo but he will have to be at his best if he is going to keep out the likes of Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus.

The 23-year-old will need every ounce of his athleticism and speed to keep up with Arsenal’s attackers who have pace to burn.

CB – Thiago Silva

The Brazilian was handed a much-needed rest versus Dinamo and he will have to use all of his experience to keep control of the irrepressible Jesus on Sunday.

Silva would have gone up against the Brazilian plenty of times in training for the national team, so hopefully, some inside knowledge will allow him to get the better of the striker.

CB – Kalidou Koulibaly

The 31-year-old could have marked Bruno Petkovic a bit more tightly for Dinamo’s goal on Wednesday, but you could probably put that down to a bit of rustiness after two weeks out due to injury.

Koulibaly played 65 minutes midweek so that should hold him in good stead heading into a difficult game against the Gunners.

LWB – Marc Cucurella

Chilwell’s injury means Potter may be forced into selecting Cucurella, who has been performing very poorly in recent weeks.

The experiment which saw wingers playing as wingbacks failed completely in the defeat to Brighton, so Cucurella is the only real alternative for the left flank.

CM – Jorginho

Had a decent game versus Dinamo with his passing range on full display, but he is unlikely to get the same amount of time on the ball against Arsenal.

Jorginho is a bit hit-and-miss when it comes to turning up in big matches so it will be hoped that he can put in a good performance this weekend.

CM – Mateo Kovacic

The Croatian has been nursing a tight calf muscle but the dynamism he offers in midfield is vital if Chelsea are to secure the three points against Arsenal.

It would be harsh to drop Denis Zakaria, after the Swiss international impressed midweek, but Arsenal are a level above the likes of Dinamo.

AM – Mason Mount

If there is a switch to a three-man backline then Potter may have to decide on whether the England international or Kai Havertz starts in the number 10 position.

Havertz’s inconsistency means you would back Mount to be picked ahead of the German for the match on Sunday.

ST- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Potter could very easily choose to start Havertz up front, but Aubameyang will be chomping at the bit to score against his old club. For that reason alone, the 33-year-old will probably be given the nod.

The striker didn’t part ways with the Gunners in the best of circumstances so he will have extra motivation for this game.

ST – Raheem Sterling

After a concerning dip in form, it was good to see the 27-year-old get back on the scoresheet on Wednesday evening.

Sterling is far more comfortable playing in more advanced positions and you would think that, following the Brighton loss, we won’t see the England international playing as a wingback again any time soon.