Chelsea resume their Premier League duties after the international break on Saturday evening when they host London rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues went into the international break on the back of a three-match winning streak in all competitions. They posted back-to-back Premier League wins under Mauricio Pochettino for the first time, netting six times in victories against Fulham and Burnley.
However, Arsenal, who are second in the table behind north London rivals Tottenham only on goals scored, will provide a much sterner test of whether Mauricio Pochettino’s side really have turned the corner.
Chelsea Team News
Chelsea are set to be boosted by the welcome return of Reece James to the squad. He has been sidelined with a hamstring problem since August but has trained in recent days at Cobham. However, it remains to be seen whether or not James will be included in the squad at the weekend.
Benoit Badiashile is fit enough to be in the squad, but Carney Chukwuemeka, Romeo Lavia and Trevoh Chalobah have suffered further setbacks in their recoveries and will not be available this weekend.
Nicolas Jackson, Armando Broja and Axel Disasi withdrew from their respective national team camps, although they are expected to be fit in time to face Arsenal. Cole Palmer, too, returned to the club early after sustaining a knock at the England Under-21 duty, but the youngster may well be in line to recover before Arsenal’s visit.
Meanwhile, after serving his three-game suspension, Malo Gusto is available for selection again.
Predicted Chelsea lineup vs Arsenal (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Robert Sanchez has had a mixed start to life at Chelsea. He has shown signs of improvement and will need to be at his best to keep a clean sheet against Arsenal.
Defence
Chelsea boasts one of the best defensive units in the division, conceding only seven goals in eight games. If Reece James is not fit enough to start, Malo Gusto is ready to return from suspension. He will start at right-back, while Levi Colwill hopes to impress again from the left-back position.
Despite picking up a knock on international duty, Axel Disasi should be fine to start at the weekend. The Frenchman is expected to partner Thiago Silva in central defence, as Chelsea looks to shut down a potent Arsenal attack.
Midfield
Summer signing Moises Caicedo has been showing signs of settling down at the club of late. A tenacious tackler and crisp passer of the ball, the Ecuadorian will be tasked with protecting the Chelsea defence.
Conor Gallagher and Enzo Fernandez are expected to join Caicedo in the home side’s engine room. Acting as two No.8s, Gallagher and Fernandez will be hoping to dictate the tempo of the game whilst disrupting Arsenal’s rhythm of play.
Attack
Raheem Sterling has arguably been Chelsea’s best player so far this campaign. After starring in Chelsea’s 4-1 win over Burnley before the international break, he is a certainty to start on the left flank. Cole Palmer should recover in time from the dead leg suffered on international duty, thereby, retaining his place on the right flank.
Nicolas Jackson should replace Armando Broja up top after his impactful display against Burnley. Broja must settle for a spot on the bench along with the likes of Mykhaylo Mudryk, Ian Maatsen and Marc Cucurella.
