Chelsea will look to recover from their disappointing January campaign as they travel to Vicarage Road to face Watford on Monday.
The Blues are coming on the back of a hugely disappointing 3-0 loss to Bournemouth in midweek but will be full of confidence as they face an out of sorts Watford side, who have recently sacked their head coach Marco Silva.
Chelsea have currently slipped to fourth in the Premier League table and run the risk of slipping out of the top four if they fail to win against Watford, and results elsewhere go against them.
Watford, on the other hand, are eleventh in the league table, prior to the start of the matchday, having registered just one victory in their last seven matches. The Hornets will be hopeful for a turnaround under new coach Javi Garcia.
Here’s the predicted Chelsea lineup to face Watford on the Monday night encounter.
Defence
Thibaut Courtois will most likely remain in goal, despite having his recent performances questioned by some of the fans. The Belgian will be desperate to grab a clean sheet against the Hornets.
Antonio Rudiger could make his comeback into the starting lineup, after settling for the bench in the midweek’s defeat against Bournemouth. Andreas Christensen’s injury will mean that the German international will partner Cesar Azpilicute and captain Gary Cahill in central defence.
New signing Emerson is available for the clash but is expected to sit on the bench, as Marcos Alonso will start at the left wingback position while Victor Moses will be deployed as the right wing-back. The duo will be important to Chelsea’s offensive play in the final third.
Midfield
Chelsea’s double pivot midfield will comprise of N’Golo Kante and Tiemoue Bakayoko. The French midfield duo will offer solidity in the centre of the park for Antonio Conte’s men, eventually allowing the offensive players to have more freedom in the final third.
Attack
All eyes will be on Chelsea’s newest recruit, Olivier Giroud, who is in contention to start the game. The Frenchman will be deployed as the lone forward upfront while club’s number nine, Alvaro Morata remain on the sidelines.
Head coach Antonio Conte will have the privilege of choosing between Pedro, Ross Barkley or Danny Drinkwater but we expect Barkley to be deployed in the offensive position, just behind Giroud. He will be partnered by Belgian superstar Eden Hazard, who might also feature as a false number nine, should Conte opt to have Giroud on the bench.
