Thomas Tuchel admitted after the 0-0 draw with Wolves in midweek that he hadn’t felt comfortable changing his Chelsea side too much after spending just one training session with the Blues following his appointment as manager on Tuesday.
And the German is unlikely to make many more alterations to his XI for Sunday’s game with Burnley – a tie that should produce a more rounded display as the west London club begin life without Frank Lampard in earnest.
Tuchel has the welcome return of N’Golo Kante from a thigh problem, which means he has no injury concerns heading into this Premier League encounter with a bullish Clarets side that have won two on the bounce.
The boss was also on hand to calm concerns Mason Mount has been ostracised from the team following his relegation to the bench for the draw with Wolves.
Three-man defence to continue
Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy will remain between the sticks for Chelsea this weekend and there’s not much chance of Tuchel’s defence changing either. The boss went with three at the back on Wednesday, with Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger either side of Thiago Silva.
Azpilicueta put in a much more reserved performance in Chelsea’s draw with Wolves compared to how Lampard wanted his full-backs to play.
As a trio the defence looked solid against Wolves and Tuchel can be confident of them holding Burnley at bay from open play. Whether or not Chelsea can confidently defend the set piece remains to be seen.
Kante back in the XI
Chelsea have been without Kante since the 3-1 loss to Manchester City at the start of January but the France international should come into the XI here, so long as he proves his fitness.
Tuchel revealed where he plans to play the 29-year-old, potentially starting from this weekend, saying: “I think he is strongest as a double six. We can use his energy and use his range, volume in his game, his ability to recuperate and recover balls everywhere on the pitch.
“He is a guy who is a big, big helper for everybody with the potential of a helper, a water carrier but a world class player.
Bringing in Kante would likely knock Jorginho or Mateo Kovacic out of the side. Callum Hudson-Odoi is expected to keep his place on the right, while Ben Chilwell may be sacrificed for Mount.
“I wanted to take the weight off their shoulders,” Tuchel said when asked why he had omitted Mount and Billy Gilmour from the XI to face Wolves. “I wanted to give the responsibility in this special moment to a bit more experienced players and have them on hand.
“There is nothing to worry about, I like what I see from Mason so far. Such a nice and competitive guy. Every game I have seen so far, Mason cares for Chelsea, 100 per cent. This is the best basis for a big development. I am very happy to have him around, I will not stop pushing him and guiding him.”
Will Werner return?
Tuchel opted to drop Timo Werner to the bench against Wolves and didn’t turn to the Germany international when he sought a goal late on. That duty went to Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham, who replaced Hakim Ziyech and Olivier Giroud respectively.
Tuchel may want to feature the 6ft 3in Giroud once more against Burnley’s towering centre-backs James Tarkowski and Ben Mee, which would leave Werner on the bench once more.
Kai Havertz should keep his place but Pulisic, who played under Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund, could come in for Ziyech as Tuchel briefly tinkers with his selection.
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