After a comfortable victory against Newcastle, it’s a trip to Southampton for Tuchel’s Chelsea side next.
The Blues will be looking for a better outcome than the last match against the Saints, with the previous fixture offering a 3-3 draw between the two sides.
Team News
Thomas Tuchel’s press conference offered an update on the availability of couple of players. Havertz has fully recovered from his injury and is in contention for the weekend match, while Thiago Silva misses out again but the Brazilian defender was seen training with the squad Thursday morning and is very close to returning to the match-day squad.
Tammy Abraham, who sustained an ankle injury early on in the match against Newcastle, has recovered from the injury and is also in contention for selection. However, Christian Pulisic is feeling some tightness in his calf and is currently a doubt for the upcoming match.
Predicted XI
Kepa returned to the starting XI last time out, but it’s back to normality this week. Edouard Mendy is expected to start between the sticks and will finally have the chance to get his 11th clean-sheet of the season.
In defence, Andreas Christensen will keep his place at the expense of the injured Thiago Silva. The Dane’s performances of late have been top class, and we hope it continues. Alongside Christensen will be Antonio Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta. The switch to a back three has done them well. Since the change of formation, we have only conceded one goal, and with a string of difficult fixtures coming up, it would do us well to keep some consistency with the selections.
Ben Chilwell and Callum Hudson-Odoi will occupy the left and right wing-back positions. Alonso has been in fine form lately, but an opportunity for Ben Chilwell could be beckoning.
N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic will be the two holding midfielders. N’Golo Kante will need to be at his best against Atletico Madrid and this is the perfect warm-up match. Yes, Jorginho has been in good form, but he still has his defensive weaknesses. Against a team like Southampton who has very fast and skilled attackers, N’Golo Kante is a must-have to counter it.
Playing behind the striker will be Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech. The Moroccan hasn’t played much under Tuchel, so when allowed to play he must show his talents. Mason Mount at the moment is irreplaceable. He offers Chelsea so much in the attack and defense and it is no wonder why both Tuchel and Lampard favored him to others. Kai Havertz is also a player that can play that number 10 position, as can Christian Pulisic. Hakim Ziyech will have to take advantage of this opportunity if given this weekend.
Playing up top will be Tammy Abraham. As the lone striker, he is our best option. He is releasing the ball quicker, making sharper passes, linking play up, and being clinical in front of the net. After recovering from his ankle injury, I cannot come up with a reason as to why Tuchel does not give him the opportunity he deserves.
Full Predicted XI
Mendy
Azpi, Christensen, Rudiger
Hudson-Odoi, Kante, Kovacic, Chilwell
Ziyech, Werner
Abraham
