Chelsea will be looking to make it back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since October on Saturday as they make the trip to Anfield to face Liverpool.
The Blues picked up their first victory in the league at the weekend as they managed to narrowly beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at Stamford Bridge. After the game, under-pressure head coach Graham Potter admitted he was relieved with their first three points of 2023 and said it gives them some confidence before they travel to Liverpool.
"You have to keep going and you have to deal with the bad times, deal with the tough situations and accept the criticism that comes your way, and take responsibility," Potter said after the Palace win. "The players have suffered, of course. It's not nice. That is why it is important to enjoy the win today, the three points, and it gives us a shot in the arm for the weekend."
READ MORE: Chelsea's forgotten star beginning to ask Graham Potter questions after Mykhailo Mudryk transfer
Midway through the win at Palace, Chelsea confirmed the signing of Mykhailo Mudryk on a long-term deal. The 22-year-old hasn't played any competitive football since the end of November but has trained with his new teammates this week and is expected to be named in the squad for the match on Saturday.
Whether that's from the start or not remains to be seen. But logic would suggest Potter uses Mudryk from the bench, rather than from the start and give an opportunity to an attacker who is deemed more match-ready.
Mudryk could perhaps take the place of young defender Bashir Humphreys in the squad, with Chelsea already having five players who can play as a centre-back to choose from. Wednesday saw the likes of Reece James and Ben Chilwell both take part in some sort of training with their teammates at Cobham as well.
Chilwell has trained over the past couple of weeks as he continues his recovery from the injury he picked up against Dinamo Zagreb in Chelsea's final Champions League group match last year. Meanwhile, James was ruled out for a month after limping off in the second half of Chelsea's 2-0 win against Bournemouth just after Christmas.
The full-back duo, who have both been so critical to the way Chelsea play for some time now, are nearing their returns from their respective injuries. However, it is deemed very unlikely that either one of them will be in the starting XI when the Blues go head-to-head with Liverpool at the weekend. There could, however, be a space on the bench for both, or just one of them. Chilwell is nearer to completing his return than James, it's understood, but we are set to hear more on these injuries from Potter later in the week at his pre-match press conference.
So that could be another two – more realistically, one – change(s) to the 20-man squad. Perhaps new signing David Datro Fofana could miss out, or of course, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is out of favour at the moment.
Chelsea, though, are expected to be without Edouard Mendy, Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana, Armando Broja, N'Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic. New signing Joao Felix will also sit out as he serves the second game of his three-match suspension following his red card at Fulham.
Predicted squad
Goalkeepers: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marcus Bettinelli
Defenders: Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta, Lewis Hall, Kalidou Koulibaly, Benoit Badiashile, Marc Cucurella
Midfielders: Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Conor Gallagher, Jorginho, Carney Chukwuemeka
Attackers: Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, David Datro Fofana, Mykhailo Mudryk
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