Mykhailo Mudryk To Start; Christopher Nkunku And Raheem Sterling On The Bench: Chelsea’s Predicted XI To Play Fulham

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino refused to criticise his players despite the Blues suffering a shock 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough on Tuesday night.

While the London club can still recover the deficit in the second leg at Stamford Bridge, fans were clearly not happy with the performance as Thiago Silva addressed the away support following the final whistle.

Pochettino and his players will be looking for a much better result when they take on Fulham at home in the Premier League this weekend.

Press the next page as we predict Chelsea’s starting lineup for the match at Saturday lunchtime.

GK – Djordje Petrovic

The Serbian had little to do but to pick the ball out of the net against Boro.

Petrovic had no chance with Hayden Hackney’s goal, with the ball being slotted past him at very close range.

The 24-year-old has been excellent since replacing the injured Robert Sanchez and it will be interesting to see what Pochettino decides to do when the Spaniard returns to fitness.

With Sanchez still on the treatment table, though, Petrovic will be between the sticks once again this weekend.

RB – Malo Gusto

After some very impressive performances recently, Gusto put in arguably one of his worst displays of the season at the Riverside Stadium.

The Frenchman was ineffective in the final third of the pitch and he almost gifted Middlesbrough a second goal.

His errant pass was intercepted by Josh Coburn who was bearing down on goal before Gusto atoned for his error and shepherded the ball out of play.

At 20 years of age, it is understandable that the fullback will have good and bad games but he has to be better than he was against Boro.

CB – Axel Disasi

Unlike many others in the first-team squad, the 25-year-old does not have an excuse that he is an inexperienced player to explain his poor performances.

Against Middlesbrough, Disasi made a bad challenge on Emmanuel Latte Lath and he wasn’t particularly secure in possession.

The defender did improve as the game went on but you do question why Pochettino has so much faith in him.

Disasi has started all but 2 of Chelsea’s games this campaign so he is expected to face Fulham on Saturday.

CB – Thiago Silva

It wasn’t the best of nights from the Brazilian veteran whose lack of pace was exposed by Boro on the counter-attack.

Silva was not able to provide much protection for Levi Colwill who had a very difficult game against Isaiah Jones.

You do wonder why Pochettino doesn’t pair them in the centre of defence and select someone who is a more recognised fullback.

With Ben Chilwell nearing his return to full fitness, it is definitely something that the manager should think about.

LB – Levi Colwill

The 20-year-old had one of the most difficult games of his senior career so far against Middlesbrough.

After being booked early on, Colwill was walking on a tightrope for most of the game and Jones took full advantage.

The left-back was out of position for Boro’s opening goal and he had difficulties keeping up with Jones throughout the 90 minutes.

Against Fulham, who field the likes of Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Harry Wilson on the right flank, Colwill may have a slightly easier afternoon as they don’t have the same amount of pace.

CM – Moises Caicedo

The Ecuadorian is certainly far from being a £115m player at the moment after having another poor game at the Riverside Stadium.

Caicedo decided to switch off for Middlesbrough’s goal, allowing Hackney to ghost in behind him for the opener in the first half.

The summer signing was also lax in his passing but he did create a chance for Cole Palmer, as well as having a decent effort with a shot from outside of the box.

Caicedo has to up his game to justify his eyewatering price tag. At the moment, there is no competition for his place due to injuries but he won’t get away with this level of performance forever.

CM – Enzo Fernandez

The Argentinian international’s display against Boro was only slightly less disappointing than Caicedo’s.

With the quality at their disposal, Chelsea should not only be dominating possession but creating chances from midfield. However, Fernandez didn’t offer a lot on the ball, with the exception of a few neat passes.

At 22 years of age, it’s harsh to expect him to be a commanding presence in the middle of the pitch but he has to be more influential than he was on Tuesday evening.

The Blues will likely have the lion’s share of the ball against Fulham this weekend so, hopefully, Fernandez can make more of an impact.

AM – Conor Gallagher

The 23-year-old is usually among the most active players on the pitch but, with Middlesbrough sitting back, there wasn’t much need for him to chase the ball down and press.

Gallagher is pretty limited in possession and, when playing as the most advanced midfielder, he can’t replicate what Christopher Nkunku can produce.

It will be hoped that Nkunku has recovered from a hip problem so he can, at least, make the bench for the game on Saturday.

There are, though, some reports that suggest that the Frenchman could still be a couple of weeks away from returning to full fitness so we shall see if he features at all against Fulham.

RW – Cole Palmer

The attacking midfielder had an awful night in front of goal at the Riverside Stadium. He spurned 3 golden chances.

It was such a surprise to see Palmer fluff his lines, considering how good he has been with his finishing since arriving in August.

Fans will be hoping that it was a one-off and that he will be back to his best this weekend.

If Palmer starts on the right wing versus Fulham, he will be going up against the attack-minded Antonee Robinson so he should get some joy down that flank.

CF – Armando Broja

Pochettino opted against starting the Albanian against Boro despite the striker scoring versus Preston in the FA Cup.

Broja’s fitness after such a lengthy injury layoff is still a question mark so the fact that he was benched on Tuesday was not a complete surprise.

However, the Blues’ attack failed to function properly without a focal point so Broja should be brought back in to face Fulham.

Noni Madueke would be the likeliest to make way. The winger showed a great deal of endeavour in midweek but there was a distinct lack of quality.

LW – Mykhailo Mudryk

Raheem Sterling’s erratic form continues. After impressing against Preston, he failed to make any sort of impact against Middlesbrough.

Pochettino may, therefore, opt to start Mudryk ahead of the England international on Saturday.

Both wingers suffer from the same issues, running into blind alleys and making poor decisions in promising situations.

Mudryk does have more of an excuse, considering that he is 6 years younger than Sterling, so the Ukrainian may get the nod this weekend.