Chelsea face Southampton away from home in the Premier League this Sunday and will be hoping to bounce back from their EFL Cup defeat at West Ham United.
Antonio Conte decided to give a few fringe players a chance to impress in the starting eleven on Wednesday, but his risk didn’t really pay off and Chelsea lost to their local rivals.
Now the Italian manager will have to field his strongest eleven if he wants to avoid defeat against the in-form Saints.
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois
Courtois was rested at the Olympic Stadium on Wednesday, but will definitely return to the starting eleven on Sunday.
Central defenders: David Luiz, Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta
Conte is likely to persist with the 3-4-3 formation, which means Azpilicueta will probably move back to the right centre-back position after playing as a left wing-back against West Ham. John Terry will probably be benched for this game as he’s just returned from injury and can’t really play 2 games in the space of 5 days anymore.
Right wing-back: Victor Moses
Ivanovic is expected to be fit for the game, but Moses definitely deserves to stay in the starting eleven. He’s a very good option for the right wing-back position and Conte deserves credit for giving the Nigerian a chance in the first team.
Central midfielders: N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic
Matic was rested on Wednesday, but will now return to the starting eleven to partner the tireless Kante.
Left wing-back: Marcos Alonso
The former Fiorentina defender missed his team’s EFL Cup defeat, but is now expected to return to his preferred left wing-back position against the Saints.
Right winger: Willian
The Brazilian winger returned to Chelsea’s team against West Ham after taking some time off due to his mother passing away and is likely to stay in the starting eleven for the crucial game at St. Mary’s.
Left winger: Eden Hazard
The Belgian should be in top physical condition for the game after being given a rest against West Ham.
Striker: Diego Costa
Costa has been Chelsea’s best player since the start of the season and will definitely return to Conte’s starting eleven at the expense of MichyBatshuayi.
Formation: 3-4-3
Via – Lineup Builder
