Chelsea have endured a terrible start to the defence of their Premier League title so far and if things do not improve soon, the Blues could end up relinquishing their crown before too long.
To make matters worse, manager Jose Mourinho has been creating unnecessary controversies off the pitch and it is clear to see that all is not well at Chelsea at the moment.
Chelsea have understandably had a lot of critics due to their poor form and the only way the Blues can now silence them is by winning football matches, starting with a clash against fellow strugglers Aston Villa this weekend.
Here is the Probable Strongest Possible Lineup for Chelsea against Aston Villa –
Goalkeeper
While Chelsea have conceded a lot of goals this season, it has to be said that second choice goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has performed admirably well and has perhaps been the Blues’ best player so far.
It is a shame that his backline has left him down but nonetheless, the Bosnian international will be looking to continue his good run of form and hopefully claim a clean sheet against the toothless Aston Villa attack.
Defence
The Chelsea backline has been uncharacteristically poor so far this season and it will be interesting to see what sort of defensive combination Mourinho will go with against Villa.
Gary Cahill looks like a certain starter while Mourinho might choose to drop John Terry in favour of Kurt Zouma following the Chelsea skipper’s poor performance against Southampton last time out.
Out of form Branislav Ivanovic has been ruled out of the clash due to injury and it could prove to be a blessing in disguise for Chelsea.
With Ivanovic out, Cesar Azpilicueta will be moving into his natural right back position while Abdul Baba Rahman should be handed his first start in the Premier League.
Midfield
Nemanja Matic was left out from the starting lineup against Southampton but given Chelsea’s poor performance without him, the Serb should be recalled in place of Ramires.
Alongside Matic, Cesc Fabregas should feature at the middle of the park while Oscar is likely to be used in a playmaker’s role behind the lone striker.
In the wide positions, the in-form Willian and the out of sorts Eden Hazard look likely to be featuring but Pedro will also be hopeful of earning a recall into the starting lineup.
Attack
Diego Costa will be making a return from his three match suspension and will surely be leading the line for the Blues.
The duo of Radamel Falcao and Loic Remy will be providing the backup options for Chelsea if the Spaniard fails to produce a good performance once again.
(4-2-3-1)
Via – Lineup Builder
