Chelsea comes into this one on a high after an undefeated October spilled over to November when they took care of Malmo in the Champions League. That made it seven in a row for the west London club. They are looking ominous at the top of the table and they face a Burnley side this weekend who are not only having a terrible time of it in the Premier League this year but have only managed one victory in their last 14 matches against them.
The scene couldn’t be set more perfectly for a victory for the rampaging Blues. With that in mind, let’s have a look at how they will likely line up in the 3 pm kick-off at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea vs Burnley FYIs:
Kick-off time: 3 PM GMT, 6 November Saturday
Chelsea Team News: go here
Premier League Preview Pod: go here
Form Guide (All Competitions): Chelsea (WWWWW) Burnley (DLDLW)
In goals, Eduoard Mendy will take his place. He is the undisputed number one at Stamford Bridge and has not conceded a goal in his last five appearances. It’ll take a minor miracle for anyone to usurp the Senegalese who is in the form of his life.
I expect the back three will most likely be the same as the back three that lined up in the Champions League. That back three is Thiago Silva as the anchor with Antonio Rudiger to his left and Andreas Christensen to his right. In the wing-back positions, I expect it to be all change from the Champions League lineup with Reece James coming in for Cesar Azpilucueta on the right and Ben Chilwell replacing Mikel Alonso on the right.
The midfield two is tough to predict here. Usually, you’d expect to see N’golo Kante come straight back in after a rest in the Champions League, but the form of Ruben Loftus Cheek has been brilliant.
I expect Loftus-Cheek to be the unlucky one here as Jorginho and Kante are the two I expect to fill the central midfield places.
In attack, it is much more straightforward. Kai Havertz will play through the middle with Callum Hudson-Odoi to the left of him. If Mason Mount is fully recovered from his illness – he should slot straight in on the right, otherwise, Hakim Ziyech should continue to deputize.
It’s a little early for Christian Pulisic to start I think, given his injury record – I’d expect a very cautious approach from the medical staff regarding his return to the starting lineup.
It’s almost a case of no matter what side Thomas Tuchel puts out there, one should expect a big win.