Chelsea’s recent woes away from home continued into 2023 as they were fortunate to escape the City Ground with a point on New Year’s Day.
Graham Potter’s side took an early lead through Raheem Sterling, but they were pegged back amid a woeful second half display by an acrobatic Serge Aurier effort. Reece James’ injury upon his return to action seems to have taken some life out of the Blues once more, but they must pick themselves up quickly as they play host to the champions on Thursday night.
Potter has struggled to settle upon a favoured system and starting XI since arriving at Stamford Bridge, so predicting his teams is always tricky.
Nevertheless, here’s what the Chelsea boss could opt for as Man City come to town in midweek.
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – Kepa’s resurgence has been one of the few bright spots for Chelsea this season. His form has seen Edouard Mendy thrust to the backbenches and the Spaniard should continue between the sticks on Thursday.
RB: Cesar Azpilicueta – The Chelsea skipper is no longer the dependable figure he once was, but Potter has little choice but to utilise the Spaniard at right-back in Reece James’ absence. Perhaps Trevoh Chalobah is an option?
CB: Thiago Silva – The Brazilian is performing at an incredibly high level and there’s no doubt that he’ll relish the upcoming battle with Erling Haaland, who scored his 21st Premier League goal at the weekend. This is a mammoth duel.
CB: Kalidou Koulibaly – The former Napoli defender hasn’t quite settled in west London, but Wesley Fofana’s absence means he’ll partner Silva on Thursday by default.
LB: Marc Cucurella – Potter has a couple of exciting youth options that he could deploy at left-back, but it’d be a surprise to see Cucurella dropped for Thursday’s game. While he hasn’t exactly won over supporters since he joined for big money in the summer, he’s certainly the manager’s best option.
CM: Jorginho – Potter’s midfield options are limited, but Jorginho has been almost ubiquitous at the base of the midfield since the Englishman succeeded Thomas Tuchel.
CM: Mateo Kovacic – Kovacic was excellent at the World Cup and he returned to domestic action off the bench last time out. Potter needs to get the very best out of the Croatian during the second half of the season, and he’ll play a key role in breaking City’s press on Thursday.
CM: Mason Mount – The England…
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