Chelsea will be looking to turn their recent back-to-back wins against Tottenham and West Ham United into some form of momentum on Saturday evening.
The Blues go head-to-head with Nottingham Forest this weekend in what is their third-last game of the Premier League season. As it stands, Chelsea sit in seventh-place and are in a strong position to return to European football after being absent this term.
A 2-0 win against Spurs recently was followed up – just three days later – with a 5-0 thumping of the Hammers. Mauricio Pochettino was understandably delighted after both and believes his side are finally starting to show what he and his coaching staff have been trying to get out of them all season-long.
However, on the road, it has been a different story. Their last win away from home in the Premier League was almost three months ago at Crystal Palace – and that remains, to this day, their only victory this calendar year in the Premier League.
Pochettino may be tempted to keep things more or less the same for the trip to the City Ground after recent performances. He could, though, make some alterations to his team as Bobby Vincent, Jake Stokes and Joe Doyle discuss below.
Bobby Vincent
After such resounding victories in their last two matches, if I was Pochettino, I would not be making any drastic changes. However, there is perhaps scope for a couple of alterations.
Malo Gusto to come back in at right-back, for me. The Frenchman came on late on in the win against West Ham after suffering with a minor injury, so he could replace Benoit Badiashile in the team with Trevoh Chalobah moving back into the centre of defence.
Marc Cucurella to start at left-back once again and hopefully he can continue to shine in his new role, where he moves into midfield alongside Moises Caicedo. The Ecuadorian, Caicedo, has been exceptional of late so he will be alongside Conor Gallagher yet again as Enzo Fernandez remains sidelined.
Then, Noni Madueke on the right and Cole Palmer in the middle. I would be tempted to bring Raheem Sterling back into the side if he is fit enough. This sort of game, I feel, suits Sterling more than it does Mykhailo Mudryk. Nicolas Jackson up top, of course.
Bobby’s XI: Petrovic; Gusto, Silva, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher; Madueke, Palmer, Sterling; Jackson.
Joe Doyle
It’s a simple enough choice in goal: Petrovic starts. In defence, there are a couple of decisions to make, both on the right and in the centre. I’d start Gusto at right-back, with a central duo of Chalobah and Silva, while Cucurella continues at left-back.
In central midfield, it’s fairly simple again as Caicedo and Gallagher start. Up front it’s Jackson, which just leaves a slight dilemma across attacking midfield.
It’s pretty much a given that Palmer starts, it’s just a question of where. For me, he’s in the centre; that leaves the right wing open for Madueke to hopefully continue to impress. And on the left, I’d give Mudryk one more opportunity to try and make an impact; up against a back three system with wing-backs, the pressure would be on to deliver when he gets a chance with the ball – something he needs to show he can do on a regular basis for the Blues.
Joe’s XI: Petrovic; Gusto, Chalobah, Silva, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher; Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson.
Jake Stokes
Fortunately for Pochettino, the starting lineup should be relatively easy to pick this weekend. Petrovic has hardly put a foot wrong since replacing Sanchez between the sticks. Meanwhile, Silva and Chalobah have provided Chelsea some much-needed stability at the back.
Despite some shaky performances at the start of the season, Cucurella has become a key player for the Blues in recent weeks. The Spaniard has been reinvigorated by a slight tweak to Chelsea’s system, operating as an inverted left-back.
Gusto finally returned during the west Londoners’ win over West Ham, while Reece James has recently returned to first-team training. A start for either against Nottingham Forest could come too soon, but it would be good to see the duo feature off the bench in some capacity.
The Chelsea boss hasn’t got many options in the middle of the park, but Caicedo and Gallagher have been enjoying a good vein of form lately so they more than deserve a place in the side. Despite some unconvincing performances, Mudryk needs to end the season with a consistent run of games – as does Jackson and Madueke.
It would be good to see a few familiar faces – like Christopher Nkunku and Levi Colwill – return to the starting lineup, but too many changes could disrupt the Blues’ momentum. And that’s the last thing Pochettino needs when locking horns with a side fighting for survival in the Premier League.
Jake’s XI: Petrovic; Chalobah, Badiashile, Silva, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher; Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson.
