The Chelsea starting lineup will be important as ever in their next match, as Thomas Tuchel’s men clash with London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on 14th August, 2022 at Stamford Bridge. Read on to see what Last Word of Football thinks the Blues’ lineup will look like against Spurs.
Chelsea Starting Lineup Prediction
The Blues! 📸 pic.twitter.com/DImS4uUZA9
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 12, 2022
How Chelsea Have Lined Up Recently
Chelsea’s first match of the season was against Frank Lampard’s Everton at Goodison Park, in which Thomas Tuchel’s side narrowly scraped through thanks to a Jorginho penalty deep in added time in the first half.
The Blues lined up in a manner that perfectly suits the German manager’s style. With Edouard Mendy in goal protected by Kalidou Koulibaly, Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta, wing backs Ben Chilwell and Reece James have complete license to bomb on and attack.
Jorginho and N’Golo Kante hold the structure together in midfield and provide a foundation for the attacking unit of Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz to pull apart the opposing defence.
Chelsea Injuries To Consider
Thomas Tuchel’s Stamford Bridge outfit have zero injuries. This is in spite of being on the wrong end of a relatively high number of fouls from the Everton side in the season opener.
Chelsea’s head coach has his entire portfolio of players to choose from this weekend, providing him with all of the flexibility he needs to choose a winning eleven.
Predicted Chelsea Starting 11
Expect to see a high level of consistency, both in Chelsea’s shape and in the club’s personnel, at Stamford Bridge. The head coach is highly committed to his structure, so expect to see the trusted 3-4-3 formation again against Antonio Conte’s side.
As the season is still young it’s unlikely that there will be many, if any, changes for Tuchel’s squad, as the West London side look to find their rhythm.
Edouard Mendy is almost a certainty in goal barring any late injury troubles and after protecting the Senegalese goalkeeper’s net at Goodison Park; Koulibaly, Silva and Azpilicueta will likely retain their places in defence.
The potential arrival of Wesley Fofana is one of the few things that could change this back three in the future, but for now, Chelsea are relatively light on numbers at the centre-back position. Expect to see Reece James and Ben Chilwell retain their positions as wing-backs on either flank.
Ahead of the defence, Kante and Jorginho retain their places. The Blues had a good level of control over the match, and replicating this against Spurs provides the predicted front line of Havertz, Mount and Sterling with plenty of chances to pounce on. Christian Pulisic may see some minutes after a promising cameo, but he likely didn’t do enough to earn a start.
Chelsea predicted lineup: Edouard Mendy; Kalidou Koulibaly, Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta, Reece James, Ben Chilwell; N’golo Kante, Jorginho; Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Raheem Sterling
Current Odds: Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur
Current odds have the Stamford Bridge outfit as probable winners at 5/4, with a Spurs win the second most favoured outcome at 21/10. Bookies don’t anticipate a draw, at odds of 12/5.
📊 @ChelseaFC have won their opening match of a #PL season for the 20th time – no club have won more 💪#EVECHE pic.twitter.com/zHHFaw46sk
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 6, 2022
