Chelsea’s performance in the first half against West Ham at the weekend was dire, but they did improve after the interval to secure an important win.
Thomas Tuchel will be hoping for a better start when his team come up against Manchester United at Old Trafford tonight.
The Red Devils are heading into the game off the back of two defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal, so the Blues will be looking to take advantage of their opponent’s lack of confidence.
Press the next page as we predict Chelsea’s starting lineup for the match this evening.
GK – Edouard Mendy
The 29-year-old had one save to make from Andriy Yarmolenko in the second half versus West Ham but, otherwise, he was untroubled.
You would think that Mendy will have more to do at Old Trafford, but United’s poor form means there is a chance that he could well be a spectator again.
RWB – Reece James
Tuchel has confirmed that the England international is back in full training and he may well be deployed at wingback tonight.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek wasn’t particularly effective in the position at the weekend, and James simply has a lot more quality in terms of his end product.
CB – Trevoh Chalobah
The 22-year-old’s omission from the starting eleven in recent weeks has been puzzling but injuries meant he did get another chance to impress against West Ham.
Chalobah took his opportunity, and it would be very harsh if Tuchel decides to drop him, especially when other centre-backs have been struggling for form.
CB – Thiago Silva
The Brazilian looked to be back to his best in the win over the Hammers, and he is poised for a head-to-head battle against another veteran in Cristiano Ronaldo.
While the United forward doesn’t possess the speed he used to, he is still strong in the air and he can elude markers, so Silva will need to be at the top of his game.
CB – Antonio Rudiger
With the German having told Tuchel that he will be leaving in the summer, it will be interesting to see how the Chelsea boss deals with the situation.
Rudiger has never shown anything less than 100% commitment to the cause so he’ll still probably play every game for the club between now and the end of the season.
LWB – Marcos Alonso
The Spaniard was one of the few players that actually turned up for the West Ham match, and it was his cross that led to Christian Pulisic’s last-gasp winner.
United’s right-hand side isn’t the strongest (he’ll likely be going up against Anthony Elanga and Diogo Dalot) so Alonso may feel he has to chance to venture forward more often than usual.
CM – Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Mateo Kovacic is still sidelined with injury and Jorginho had a poor game on Sunday, so Loftus-Cheek could be drafted into a central midfield role to provide more dynamism.
The 26-year-old has all the talent in the world but, as Tuchel has pointed it, he needs to believe in himself more. United’s midfield is a shambles at the moment so he should be able to dominate if he is on his game.
CM – N’Golo Kante
Saul Niguez is another option Tuchel could consider if he wants to change things in midfield but the Spaniard barely gets a look in. It means Kante will probably keep his place.
The Frenchman is somewhat short of his best form, and it will be interesting to see what happens with his contract situation once the takeover of the club is completed.
AM – Mason Mount
The England international has been one of the Blues’ standout players over the past month, but he still needs to find some consistency in his game.
Mount was pretty poor at the weekend, with a couple of aimless shots the sum total of his efforts. Hopefully, he’ll be a bit more lively at Old Trafford.
CF – Kai Havertz
The German hardly made an impression on the West Ham game and, to be perfectly honest, it’s typical of a player who seems to flit in and out of form.
Havertz is still offering more than Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian did show commitment after coming on as a substitute on Sunday, and he did win a penalty, but his confidence is shot.
CF – Timo Werner
The 26-year-old was probably the liveliest of the front three versus the Irons, but his finishing wasn’t particularly great.
Werner had a couple of decent chances that a world-class striker would probably have done better with. However, his all-round game means he’ll likely keep his place ahead of the likes of Pulisic for the United clash.
