Chelsea will travel to South Yorkshire to take on Barnsley in the 5th round of the FA Cup.
It’s been a blistering start to life in West London for new Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel who still remains undefeated after his first four games in the dug-out. Thursday night’s lower league opposition are not likely to threaten this record – but rather offer the German manager an opportunity to explore his newly inherited squad.
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Thiago Silva’s muscle injury that kept him out of the Blues’ trip to Bramall Lane will also mean the Brazilian is absent for the FA Cup tie – with Andreas Christensen expected to maintain his position in the starting line-up. We are still yet to hear any word on Kai Havertz, who pulled out of training with an injury last week.
Predicted XI
Tuchel confirmed in his press conference that multiple changes to the XI are to be expected. Further stating that N’Golo Kante, Kepa Arrizabalaga, and Hakim Ziyech will start the match.
Kepa will return between the posts for a first opportunity to impress under Tuchel – as well as giving first-choice keeper Edouard Mendy a well-deserved rest.
In defence, further changes are expected with Kurt Zouma expected to return to the back three alongside Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, as the Blues will be looking to maintain their outstanding defensive record under the new manager. With Zouma returning from injury, the fixture offers the perfect opportunity for the Frenchman to show Thomas Tuchel his qualities at the back.
Emerson Palmieri and Reece James will occupy the left and right wing-back positions. In a similar situation to Kurt Zouma, this will be Emerson’s first opportunity to show Tuchel what he is capable of bringing to the team.
Billy Gilmour is expected to return the heart of midfield as the youngster looks to stake a claim for a Premier League starting position – a task made even more difficult by the current form of Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho. Having made an appearance from the bench at Sheffield, N’Golo Kante will be given valuable game time alongside the Scotsman as he looks to regain full fitness.
Along the forward line, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisc both look set to return to the starting line-up. After suffering a dead leg against the Blades, Timo Werner could be given a rest after his man-of-the-match performance – paving the way for Tammy Abraham to lead the line in the FA Cup 5th round fixture.
Given the calibre of opposition, we could see academy graduates such as Tino Anjorin and Jude Soonsup-Bell make the bench for the first time under Tuchel.
Full Predicted XI
Kepa
Zouma , Christensen , Rudiger
James, Gilmour, Kante , Emerson
Ziyech, Pulisic
Abraham
