Predicted Chelsea lineup vs Arsenal: Palmer starts in 4-3-3 formation
Conor Gallagher (No. 23) Central midfielder, England
Gallagher has been superb this season, even better since he has been wearing the armband. He has outperformed Caicedo and Fernandez this season and starts on merit over them both. Gallagher leads Chelsea midfielders and wingers in tackles, tackles per game, interceptions, interceptions per game, ground duels won, and joint leads in big chances created, while ranking close second in ground duel win rate.
Cole Palmer (No. 20) Right winger, England
Palmer has been great when he has played. In fact, no Chelsea player has created more big chances than him in the Premier League this season. The Manchester City academy graduate has also created more chances per 90 minutes than any other Blues’ player. He should get credit for coming into the side and staking a claim, despite all the big-money signings the Blues have made in the last 18 months.
Raheem Sterling (No. 10) Left winger, England
Sterling was crucial to the win against Burnley as he played a key role in all four goals the west London side scored. Mykhailo Mudryk has been good in bits for CFC, but Sterling is too influential to the team’s fortunes to be left out. It would be a difficult decision for Pochettino when you consider the Ukrainian scored for his country during the international break.
Next. Chelsea vs Arsenal: 3 things to look out for. dark
Nicolas Jackson (No. 15) Center forward, Senegal
The difference between Armando Broja and Jackson is clear. This would not be a difficult decision for Pochettino at all. Jackson still needs to be better at putting his chances away, but he has generally been a positive contributor to Chelsea’s play, and he links up better with the wingers.