Chelsea and Arsenal are both looking to finish in the top four and qualify for a place in next season’s Champions League. The Blues marched past Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium over the weekend to reach the final of the FA Cup for the fifth time in the last six years. Meanwhile, the Gunners were beaten by Southampton at St. Mary’s Stadium on Saturday. The two teams are trending in completely opposite directions, despite their relatively close proximity to one another in the Premier League table. They will square off in a highly anticipated Premier League contest from Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
Here’s a look at Thomas Tuchel’s predicted starting XI for the midweek London Derby:
Edouard Mendy (No.16) Goalkeeper, Senegal
Edouard Mendy has been pretty inconsistent in the past few games. He committed the horrible mistake against Real Madrid in the first leg and his performance in the second leg wasn’t that great either. Mendy will have to ensure that he communicates with the back line and doesn’t commit any more errors leading to goals. It is time for Chelsea to display the cruel defensive ruthlesness from last season. Expect Mendy to put in a commanding shift against Arsenal.
Andreas Christensen (No. 4) Right centerback, Denmark
As long as Andreas Christensen is employed by Chelsea Football Club, he should feature in the line-up. There is no point pondering over the future anymore with his transfer to Barcelona practically sealed. The Blues have his services until the end of the season and the smart thing to do is play him. He has put in some questionable performances this season, including some awful marking against Real Madrid, but his pace and awareness has allowed Chelsea to play a high line in some games. Christensen has helped quite a lot under Thomas Tuchel.
Thiago Silva (No. 6) Centerback, Brazil
Chelsea versus Arsenal is always a high-profile game, irrespective of the form of either side. Thiago Silva must return to the side for such a game. This season, the Brazilian has been Chelsea’s best centreback. He has put in some monumental performances over the course of the year. The 37-year-old hasn’t made a single error leading to a goal or even a shot. While Silva hasn’t been at his absolute best in a few recent games, the Blues need character on the pitch against Arsenal and Silva oozes character. His mere presence is enough to bring a calming sense to the entire side. Expect Silva to start against the Gunners and be an absolute wall at the back.
Antonio Rudiger (No. 2) Left centerback, Germany
Antonio Rudiger has been in the form of his life under Tuchel. He has been one of the best defenders in the league and he undoubtedly deserves a new contract. However, the saga seems to be stretching for way too long, especially given the current ownership situation. The latest reports suggest that Rudiger wants to make a decision this month and his family is happy in London. These are positive signs for Chelsea, but the board needs to be careful with this decision. Its call on Rudiger’s extension will likely impact all future contract discussions for players such as Jorginho and N’Golo Kante, who have one year left on their contracts. Regardless of how this turns out, expect Rudiger to put in a commanding performance against Arsenal.
Reece James (No. 24) Right wingback, England
Reece James has featured on the right side of the back three a number of times and he has done quite well. The Englishman has been injured frequently this season, and Tuchel mentioned that he wanted to protect his young fullback at all costs by playing him as a centerback. James’ presence on the pitch is extremely important as he has the pace and strength to recover from any situation. He’ll be deployed as a right wingback in this contest though, as that’s where he excels.
N’Golo Kante (No. 7) Central midfielder, France
Jorginho and Kante have both been inconsistent this season. Jorginho has been struggling in general as he hasn’t been able to match his performances from last season. One of the reasons behind this is that he has been overplayed at times over the course of the season. Mateo Kovacic is injured, so Chelsea needs one—or both—of Jorginho or Kante to start in the middle of the park. The Frenchman is likelier to get the starting nod, so expect Kante to be included in the starting XI against Arsenal. He’ll do what he does best: dominate.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (No. 12) Central midfielder, England
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was the hero against Crystal Palace with his fantastic goal. While the start of his day was dodgy, he grew into the game and opened the scoring for the Blues. His resurgence in the hybrid role on the right has been exciting, and it is terrific to see Tuchel finding a role for the promising Englishman. A section of Chelsea fans has been rooting for Loftus-Cheek since day one, and it is wholesome to see the Englishman realising his potential. It was even more encouraging to see that Loftus-Cheek is not interested in a move away from Chelsea, as reported by various outlets. Expect him to start against Arsenal and show why he bleeds blue!
Marcos Alonso (No. 3) Left wingback, Spain
Marcos Alonso was brilliant against Southampton in the Premier League. Time and time again, Alonso has shown that despite his obvious weaknesses, he is the specialist in the position. As Tuchel confirmed in his latest presser, Ben Chilwell will not be playing for Chelsea again this season. Therefore, Alonso’s place in the team is secured in the line-up. This means that the Spaniard will feature against Arsenal, expect a strong performance from him per usual.
Kai Havertz (No. 29), Right striker, Germany
At the moment, Kai Havertz is one of the first names on the teamsheet for the Blues. Romelu Lukaku has been quite poor in the few games that he has played recently. Other than that, the Belgian has been struggling with an injury, as well. Havertz has capitalized on the situation, to say the least. The German has been one of the most in-form players in the league. He is keeping his position locked with his blistering workrate and Chelsea needs him to keep scoring.
Mason Mount (No. 19) Central attacking midfielder, England
Mason Mount is the epitome of Chelsea. The wonder boy scored the first goal against Real Madrid and we began to dream. His entire performance was incredible and it seems that the adverse circumstances off the pitch have motivated Mount even more in recent months. The Englishman was incredible against Southampton, as well, as he scored two goals and assisted one. He won all five of his duels and completed four tackles too. Expect Mount to start against Arsenal and score a goal or two to add to his tally of 26 goal contributions this year.
Timo Werner (No. 11) Left striker, Germany
There is a good chance that Timo Werner will leave next season. His career in west London has been full of ups and downs and it seems unlikely that things will work out. However, Werner has always had a knack of making comebacks and he has done the same in the past few weeks. Tuchel decided to give Werner a chance in recent games and the German has taken it with both hands. He scored two goals against Southampton and went on to score one and assist one against Real Madrid. Lukaku is struggling at the moment, so Werner needs to assert his place in the squad and turn around his season.
Who makes your predicted XI? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!