Chelsea predicted lineup vs Tottenham - Premier League
- Mauricio Pochettino welcomes former club Tottenham to Stamford Bridge
- Chelsea beat London rivals 4-1 in chaotic reverse fixture
- Argentine manager without a long list of players because of injury
Having enjoyed a successful 'homecoming' last November, Mauricio Pochettino welcomes former club Tottenham Hotspur to Stamford Bridge on Thursday night.
The Argentine is yet to convince a sceptical Chelsea fanbase that he's the man to lead the club through its "painful" rebuild - the phrase Pochettino coined to describe Tottenham's situation in 2019.
However, the Blues do head into Thursday's London derby with a glimmer of optimism having fought back from 2-0 down to earn a point at Aston Villa on Saturday. They may be winless in their previous three across all competitions, but a bright end to the season and Chelsea could be competing in Europe next term.
Defeat to Spurs, a side whom Chelsea seemingly boast a perpetual hold over, would be hugely damaging for Pochettino. It's a big game for the Blues boss, and here's the team he could put out for it.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Tottenham (4-2-3-1)
GK: Djordje Petrovic - Robert Sanchez could recover from injury in time for Thursday, but Petrovic, who's struggled to convince in recent weeks, is likely to keep his place.
RB: Trevoh Chalobah - Malo Gusto's likely absence means Chalobah, who's impressed since coming back into the side, will continue at right-back.
CB: Axel Disasi - Chalobah is undoubtedly better suited to the right-back role than the slow-turning Disasi, with the French defender poised to come back into the starting XI in place of the injured Thiago Silva. Disasi thought he'd scored a dramatic late winner at Villa only for VAR to intervene.
CB: Benoit Badiashile - Chelsea's defensive absence means Pochettino will stick with Badiashile despite his sub-par form.
LB: Marc Cucurella - The Spaniard was full of praise for his manager ahead of Thursday's game. Cucurella has enjoyed a prolonged run in the team, and Ben Chilwell's injury woes mean he'll keep his place at left-back.
CM: Moises Caicedo - The Ecuadorian can play, no doubt. His debut season has been a mixed bag, but Caicedo is showing signs of finishing his debut campaign with a purpose.
CM: Conor Gallagher - Enzo Fernandez's season-ending surgery will force Gallagher into the midfield pivot. The skipper came up with the goods at Villa Park, scoring a superb equaliser.
RM: Noni Madueke - Some say he's still having a go at Craig Pawson. Madueke's post-match rant at Villa Park showed that he cared, and he'll probably go up in the estimations of Blues supporters as a result having seen his stock slump.
AM: Cole Palmer - Chelsea's talisman came ever so close to stealing all three points for the Blues last time out, but Saturday was a rare occasion where Palmer didn't notch a goal contribution.
LM: Mykhaylo Mudryk - With Raheem Sterling a doubt for this one, Pochettino might have to play Mudryk. Tottenham will take advantage of his defensive shortcomings if he is included.
ST: Nicolas Jackson - Jackson netted the cheapest of hat-tricks in the reverse fixture, with those strikes making up 30% of the striker's Premier League goal tally.
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