Chelsea are again in Premier League action at Stamford Bridge this afternoon. West Ham United are the opponents. And the task facing the Blues is simple: get back to winning ways and end a disappointing and frustrating run of three consecutive defeats at home.
That will not be easy, however, as West Ham have to come away with victory from west London if they are to have any chance of finishing inside the Premier League top four. Although whether the first leg of the Irons' Europa League semi-final against Eintracht Frankfurt influences David Moyes' team selection remains to be seen.
"[Moyes] is doing an incredible job in a very popular club and very emotional club, a team together," Tuchel said during his pre-match press conference on Friday. "It's a group with a coach that is enjoyable to watch. We follow the Europa League games, and I follow a lot of their games because it is nice to watch with a full investment physically.
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"The players are absolutely tired after their matches. It is very emotional, a very physical squad. Very hard to break down, to create chances. Very dangerous on counter-attacks and set pieces. There is a lot to take care of. A lot of physicality and commitment to stand up against them. Full credit to them, the game will be tough."
Tuchel will be without several key players for the contest. Ben Chilwell (knee) and Callum Hudson-Odoi (Achilles) are long-term absentees and they have been joined in the treatment room at Cobham over the past week by Antonio Rudiger, who has opted to leave Chelsea at the end of the season, and Mateo Kovacic.
Add in Chelsea's dismal performance against Arsenal on Wednesday evening, which ended with the Gunners running out 4-2 winners at Stamford Bridge, and there are several big calls Tuchel has to make when it comes to selecting a starting XI to get the job done against West Ham.
Despite having conceded eleven goals in his previous three home games, Edouard Mendy is set to keep his place in goal for the Blues. And the Senegal international should be protected by a back three once more, although who that consists of is not easy to predict.
Cesar Azpilicueta may be dropped back into right centre-back alongside Thiago Silva in the middle. After Malang Sarr's horror show in midweek, it's likely he steps out the side and that may see the return of Trevoh Chalobah, who has struggled for minutes since the international break.
If Azpilicueta returns to the back three, then James is the obvious candidate to start at right wing-back and Marcos Alonso should continue on the opposite flank. There is, to be blunt, no other option with Chilwell set to miss the remainder of the campaign despite having stepped up his recovery work following knee surgery in December.
Jorginho is expected to come back into the midfield and despite his patchy form of late, the Italian should be partnered with N'Golo Kante. It would be a back-to-basics approach to an extent, a return to the midfield pairing that helped Chelsea dominate Champions League games last term.
Given their recent form, Mason Mount and Timo Werner and non-negotiables in the frontline and after his poor showing against Arsenal, Romelu Lukaku should be replaced by Kai Havertz, and that is despite Tuchel admitting the German has endured a heavy physical load in recent weeks.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Chalobah; James, Kante, Jorginho, Alonso; Mount, Havertz, Werner
