The Chelsea lineup that should start against West Brom
By Tom Gott
Chelsea will return from the baron wilderness that is the international break with a meeting with strugglers West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
Manager of the month Thomas Tuchel will be expecting to extend his 14-game unbeaten run with another victory over a Baggies side that find themselves slowly running out of time in their battle for survival in the Premier League.
Predicting a Tuchel lineup has been pretty impossible over the past few months, but we'll give it a crack anyway.
1. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Edouard Mendy (GK) - Mendy missed out on international duty in favour of undergoing dental surgery, but he's back in training and will be one of the first names on the team sheet.
Cesar Azpilicueta (CB) - Club captain Azpilicueta has enjoyed his return to centre-back under Tuchel, and given the boss wants his right-sided defender to charge up and down the field, Azpi is the perfect man for the job.
Andreas Christensen (CB) - Thiago Silva is back in training, but dropping Christensen is not an option. The Dane hasn't conceded a goal in over 14 hours of football for club and country. He's hit a new level.
Antonio Rudiger (CB) - There's a chance that Christensen could be shifted out to the left to make space for Silva, but expect Tuchel to stick with Rudiger, who has been excellent over the past few weeks.
2. Midfielders
Reece James (RM) - Callum Hudson-Odoi's creativity could be useful here, but given he has been battling a shoulder injury recently, expect Tuchel to go for James.
Mateo Kovacic (CM) - Creeping his way into the 'best in the league' conversation, Kovacic has been unreal since Tuchel's arrival and fully merits his heightened status in the team.
Jorginho (CM) - With N'Golo Kante out injured, expect Jorginho to complete the return of the Jovacic pivot.
Marcos Alonso (LM) - With West Brom likely to sit deep and force crosses, Alonso's height and unreal eye for goal should give him the nod over Ben Chilwell.
3. Forward
Kai Havertz (RF) - Havertz is really picking up steam these days and should be given the nod ahead of Mason Mount, who probably needs a rest after being worked to his limit on England duty.
Oliver Giroud (ST) - West Brom's low block may need Giroud to unlock. He can compete for crosses and drag defenders out of position, and that might be the key to a Chelsea victory here.
Timo Werner (LF) - Werner will be desperate to move on from the nightmare of this past break, and a goal here would go a long way to helping him out.