Chelsea will look to make it three Premier League wins on the bounce when they travel to Turf Moor to face Burnley on Saturday afternoon.
The Blues overcame their Carabao Cup final heartbreak against Liverpool with an FA Cup fifth-round victory over Luton Town on Wednesday evening. Goals from Saul Niguez, Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku sealed the deal for a rotated Thomas Tuchel’s side at Kenilworth Road.
The west London outfit are third in the table and hold two games in hand over fourth-placed Manchester United. But a trip to Burnley, who are fighting tooth and nail to avoid the drop, presents another tricky test for Chelsea following their struggles in beating Luton Town in midweek.
Chelsea Team News
Cesar Azpilicueta missed the FA Cup game at Luton Town due to a knock picked up against Liverpool in the EFL Cup and remains out. Trevoh Chalobah also sat out the game following a groin problem but has been passed fit.
Andreas Christensen and Hakim Ziyech are doubts for the game at Turf Moor having missed the last couple of games, while Ben Chilwell is a long-term casualty.
Predicted Chelsea Lineup vs Burnley (3-4-3)
Goalkeeper
Edouard Mendy is Chelsea’s undisputed no.1 and will be recalled to the starting XI to replace Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal, after the Spaniard played in the 3-2 win over Luton Town in the FA Cup fifth round.
Defence
Thiago Silva should start in central defence in the Chelsea lineup. Antonio Rudiger will flank him on the left while fit-again Trevoh Chalobah could be handed a start on the right of a three-man defence especially given the likely absence of Andreas Christensen and the unavailability of Azpilicueta.
Midfield
Selecting the personnel in midfield shouldn’t be much of a headache for the manager, though, with N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic expected to return to the Chelsea lineup.
Reece James is fit now and ready to start at right wing-back. Kenedy was handed a rare start against Luton Town but will be replaced by Marcos Alonso in the Chelsea lineup.
Attack
A goal against Luton should have given a world of confidence to Romelu Lukaku ahead of some important games coming up for Chelsea. Tuchel might persist with the Belgian up top, flanked by Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic.
Both Havertz and Pulisic will act as the creative outlets from wide areas and look to provide Lukaku with the support he needs to breach the Burnley backline.
