Chelsea predicted XI for Leicester: Expect changes, not a decrease in quality

Jorginho (No. 5) Central midfielder, Italy

Having just served the longest three game suspension in the history of football, Jorginho will be itching to return to the field after missing the two league fixtures thanks to having already picked up ten yellow cards.

He will be hoping to wipe that poor disciplinary slate clean by conducting the midfield from the position now occupied by N’Golo Kante. The World Cup winner, and former Fox, has been reinstated in his infamous holding role with great effect. Nevertheless, Kante has played the full 180 minutes since Project Restart, and with his recent injury record, Lampard may be wise to give the man a rest.

Mateo Kovacic (No. 17) Central midfielder, Croatia

Arguably Chelsea’s best player pre-lockdown, Mateo Kovacic will want to recreate that form that had the critics of his previous spell go silent.

He started the game away to Villa and was sparingly used at home to City, so expect his afternoon to be interrupted by a substitution. This being said, he and Jorginho had combined well before they were separated and it will be interesting if they can recreate this partnership that was at one point, Lampard’s favoured midfield pairing.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (No. 12) Central midfielder, England

Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s homecoming threw shades to the disappointing sequel in a big movie franchise. Huge hype combined with that inevitable worry it won’t be as good as the original, ultimately let down by the final production.

This may be a damming review for the 24-year-old who has played just 55 minutes of competitive action since rupturing his Achilles last May. However, he was way off the pace as a starter at Villa Park and definitely needs a few more matches to find his rhythm again.