Chelsea FC Predicted XI For FA Community Shield Against Arsenal
Cesar Azpilicueta and Branislav Ivanovic
This again seems quite certain, mostly due to the lack of serious depth in the Chelsea defence, and a lack of new signings to compensate for it.
The duo started 67 games between them during last season’s successful Premier League campaign, and largely at the full-back positions. Ivanovic was almost a permanent fixture on the right, while Dave was given a few days off here and there to give Filipe Luis some playing time. Both put in consistently good performances and showed themselves as willing to go forwards as they were backwards.
With Filipe Luis now gone, there is genuinely no serious competition for Azpilicueta at left-back. While Abdul Baba Rahman is heavily rumoured to be on the verge of signing with the Blues, the fact is that he is not selectable tomorrow afternoon.
Meanwhile, Ivanovic’s main competition is technically Cesar. The Spaniard is a right-back by trade and beyond him, there is no other right-back in the squad. Now, there has been speculation that Kurt Zouma may move to a full-back slot if necessary, but with both these players fit this is unlikely to happen.
Next: Centre-Back