Chelsea vs Aston Villa: 3 Blues Graham Potter must start
3. Mateo Kovacic
Since Jorginho took his talents to the north of London, Potter has made it clear Mateo Kovacic is the guy. Since Thiago Silva suffered an injury, the Croatian has captained the west Londoners for four straight contests. Despite potential talks of him leaving in the summer to Manchester City, Potter is informing the veteran midfielder that he is going to be one of the most crucial pieces to the Blues’ success going forward.
Just like Madueke, Kovacic is coming off of a historic international window. In a European qualifier in Turkey, the 28-year-old scored the game’s only goals. He had previously netted just three goals in his first 92 appearances for Croatia, but with two relatively simple strikes, Kovacic propelled Croatia to a vital three points in Group D of the UEFA European Championship qualifiers.
Next. Chelsea vs Villa: predicted XI, Young Lion starts, Felix dropped in 3-4-3. dark
Given his work rate in the midfield combined with the fact that he has netted three goals in the last four contests in all competitions should make the Croatian a lock for Saturday’s starting XI. He has completed 18 total progressive passes over the last three matches in blue. His willingness to be adventurous going forward always adds that all-important energy to lift a side to a result.