Chelsea hope to return to form against Leicester City this weekend as the club looks to bounce back from a hammering against Leeds United. Find out what Last Word on Football predicts for the Chelsea starting lineup at home against the Foxes.
Predicting the Chelsea Starting Lineup
How Chelsea Have Lined Up Recently
Against the Whites last weekend, Chelsea lined up in a 3-4-3 shape that changed with possession. Edouard Mendy gave away the first goal of the match in the net, with Kalidou Koulibaly (later sent off) and Thiago Silva starting in front of him. In defence, Reece James played as a centre-back, bombing on with possession. Marc Cucurella played at left-back, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek drifting from right wing-back to central midfield.
A midfield three of Conor Gallagher, Jorginho and Mason Mount attempted to wrestle control of the match away from Jesse Marsch’s side, with Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz disappointing at the top of the pitch.
Thomas Tuchel #CFC pic.twitter.com/lVZX5hfjMk
— CFC Pics (@Mohxmmad) August 25, 2022
Chelsea Injuries to Consider
The Stamford Bridge side has three players missing against the Foxes, with N’Golo Kante out for around a month and Marcos Alonso having been out of contention for several weeks now. Kalidou Koulibaly is also unavailable. His second yellow card for pulling Joe Gelhardt to the ground means the centre-back can return away at Southampton.
Armando Broja is back in contention for the squad. Mateo Kovacic is also fit enough to play, with Thomas Tuchel suggesting that the Croatian can play for a few minutes against Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Predicted Chelsea Starting Lineup
Despite a mistake in the last match, Mendy keeps his position in goal. Thiago Silva stays in the heart of the defence with Cucurella dropping in as a left-centre-back and Cesar Azpilicueta supporting the pair at right-centre-back. Reece James moves to wing-back on the opposite side to Ben Chilwell.
With Kovacic not fully fit, Jorginho and Gallagher play in midfield. Sterling and Havertz retain their positions up front, with Mount sitting behind them at number 10.
Current Odds: Chelsea vs Leicester City
Chelsea are current favourites for the win at 2/5, with the draw the next most likely at 4/1. Leicester City come into this match as underdogs at 6/1.
