Chelsea will entertain Burnley at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon as they look to pick up maximum points at home. The Blues were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier this week, so they will be desperate to produce a much-improved showing versus the Clarets.
Thomas Tuchel could once again opt for a 3-4-2-1 formation and is expected to make a few changes to his first XI for this game. Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham could get the nod to start at the expense of Kai Havertz, Jorginho and Olivier Giroud respectively.
3-4-2-1 Chelsea Predicted Lineup To Face Burnley
Defence
Edouard Mendy will feature in between the sticks for the Blues after he kept a clean sheet versus Wolves in his last league match. Tuchel will probably go with the same back three that started against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men on Wednesday. Hence, we can expect to see Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva and Antonio Rüdiger make up the Chelsea backline.
All three defenders will have to maintain a solid shape at the back if they are to restrict the Clarets attackers from scoring this weekend. Kurt Zouma will offer cover for the centre-back positions on the bench.
Midfield
Mateo Kovacic produced a good showing in his last league start, so he should retain his spot in midfield where he might be joined by Mason Mount as he is more attack-minded than Jorginho, who will drop to the bench.
Ben Chilwell will function as the left wing-back while Callum Hudson-Odoi fills in on the other side as a makeshift right wing-back. Tuchel will instruct both of them to stretch the pitch out on the flanks so that they can get in behind the opposition defence and deliver some inviting crosses for Tammy Abraham inside the Burnley penalty area.
Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech could operate as the free-flowing attacking midfielders as they try to orchestrate a few clear-cut goal-scoring opportunities in the attacking third. Kai Havertz and Timo Werner will be available for selection on the bench, but N’Golo Kante is a significant concern for this game.
Attack
Tammy Abraham could get a chance to spearhead Tuchel’s attack up front. The English striker will be desperate to impress his new manager by producing a fruitful display when he laces up to face off against Sean Dyche’s defenders on Sunday afternoon.
Olivier Giroud will have to be content with a spot on the bench as he waits for his opportunity to impress in the latter stages as a substitute if required.
