Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea side will be looking to make it two Premier League wins in a row when they host Vincent Kompany’s Burnley side at Stamford Bridge tomorrow afternoon.
The Blues’ last league outing was the 3-2 victory over Newcastle United nearly three weeks ago, with Nicolas Jackson, Mykhailo Mudryk and Cole Palmer all on the scoresheet in the crucial victory.
Pochettino’s men also tasted victory in the FA Cup against Leicester City a couple of weeks ago, but the performance was far from convincing with the Blues only edging past the Championship side after two late stoppage-time goals.
The club’s current injury crisis has seen the squad look depleted in key areas, with perhaps just a handful of tweaks expected from the side that qualified for the FA Cup semi-finals before the international break.
That being said, here is our predicted Chelsea lineup to face the Clarets tomorrow, with three potential changes from their most recent outing against the Foxes…
1
GK – Djorde Petrovic
The Serbian sat out the FA Cup victory over Leicester, with Robert Sanchez failing to take his opportunity with both hands. It’s clear Djorde Petrovic is Pochettino’s first choice between the sticks at the minute, with the 24-year-old impressing since his summer arrival from New England Revolution.
The fact that the Chelsea boss opted to start Sanchez against the Foxes in the FA Cup suggests that he’s lost the starting place to Petrovic, despite the Spaniard’s £25m arrival in August.
2
RB – Malo Gusto
Right-back is a position that picks itself at the moment, as the injury to Reece James has allowed Malo Gusto to show the league just how good he is.
Many Blues fans would’ve feared the worst when the Englishman suffered another hamstring injury in December, but 20-year-old Gusto has been a brilliant replacement despite his tender age.
His £30m transfer fee now looks to be a bargain, with the former Lyon defender set for a huge future at Stamford Bridge.
3
CB – Thiago Silva
The Brazilian has been a sensational player for the Blues since his arrival back in 2020 – going on to make 146 appearances despite being at the back end of his successful career.
The 39-year-old has fallen down the pecking order of late, but injuries to Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah could see him presented with his start in nearly two months.
He last featured in the 3-1 win over Crystal Palace, with the former PSG centre-back potentially leaving the club at the end of the season to allow him to return to Brazil.
However, he still has a lot of qualities that are of use to Pochettino with the defender in line to make a long-awaited return tomorrow.
4
CB – Axel Disasi
Despite his horrendous own goal in the FA Cup victory, defender Axel Disasi is set to keep his starting place at the heart of the Blues backline.
The Frenchman has been disappointing in recent weeks, with Disasi unable to match his phenomenal performance away to Manchester City where he received a 9/10 from Nizaar Kinsella.
He made 16 clearances in the encounter and kept the dangerous Erling Haaland quiet, with Disasi hoping he can find a way to return to those performance levels tomorrow.
5
LB – Marc Cucurella
With regular full-back Ben Chilwell doubtful for the encounter, Marc Cucurella will be looking to build on his solid FA Cup display which saw him score his first goal since his big-money move from Brighton.
The Spaniard made four tackles against Enzo Maresca’s side, with the defender also winning eight duels and looking brilliant defensively – an element that has been disappointing in recent times.
Should he start tomorrow, it will be three starts in a row, with Cucurella starting to look more like the player the club paid £62m for.
6
DM – Moises Caicedo
The first part of the ever-present midfield duo is Moises Caicedo, with the former Brighton man starting to settle into life at Stamford Bridge.
Undoubtedly, there was a lot of pressure on the 22-year-old after his £115m move to the club, but the Ecuadorian is starting to perform with Caicedo having a huge future ahead of him at the club.
Unsurprisingly, he’s started 24 games out of the Blues’ 27 Premier League outings this campaign, with Caicedo key for Pochettino’s side.
7
DM – Enzo Fernández
Starting alongside Caicedo will be the man who has for the vast majority of the campaign, Enzo Fernández.
The duo of Fernandez and Caicedo have been brilliant for Chelsea this season, with the pair easily two of the club’s best performers in what has been another disappointing campaign.
Like Caicedo, he’s started 24 Premier League games during 2023/24, with it practically a certainty that the Argentine starts at Stamford Bridge tomorrow.
8
RM – Cole Palmer
No change is expected on the right of the midfield as Cole Palmer is set to start once again after an impressive display in the FA Cup.
The “absolutely sensational” attacker, as described by Alan Shearer, scored and assisted in the quarter-final triumph, with Palmer taking his tally to 14 goals and 12 assists in all competitions since joining the club in the summer.
The 21-year-old will undoubtedly be looking to add to that tally against a struggling Burnley side tomorrow.
9
CAM – Conor Gallagher
A player who has excelled in a more advanced role this season, is academy graduate Conor Gallagher.
Gallagher has surprised many but still doesn’t receive the recognition he deserves with his full-blooded performances, often lacking quality, but he is very effective as an attacking midfielder in Poch’s 4-2-3-1 system.
The 24-year-old has scored four goals and provided seven assists in 38 games for Pochettino’s side in 2023/24, and while Mudryk did reasonably well in the ten against Leicester, Gallagher should be back there for a league game.
10
LW – Mykhailo Mudryk
Speaking of Mudryk, he produced an impressive display behind Nicolas Jackson in the FA Cup, with the Ukrainian starting to look like the player the club forked out £89m for.
During the recent international break, the £100k-per-week ace scored the crucial goal for his nation which secured their place at the 2024 European Championships, with the forward-looking impressive once more.
Given his recent displays, it could be the catalyst for a change in his previous performances and potentially the start of a successful end to the current Premier League campaign.
11
ST – Nicolas Jackson
Last but not least is the starting striker, and although he didn’t find the back of the net against Leicester, his tireless running caused endless problems for the Foxes backline, with Nicolas Jackson needing to start once again this weekend.
He’s managed a goal contribution in each of his last four outings, with Jackson starting to look like a great investment for the years ahead.
The Senegalese forward is starting to adapt to the demands of the Premier League, with the 22-year-old deserving of yet another start this weekend.
Predicted Chelsea XI in full vs Burnley (4-2-3-1): GK – Petrovic; RB – Gusto, CB – Silva, CB – Disasi, LB – Cucurella; DM – Caicedo, DM – Fernandez; RM – Palmer, CAM – Gallagher, LM – Mudryk; ST – Jackson.
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