Predicted Chelsea XI vs Blackburn: James starts in 4-2-3-1

Right Wing: Noni Madueke (England)

Noni Madueke made his first Premier League start for the Blues under Mauricio Pochettino against Brentford. He struggled to have any real impact on the game with the shot that hit the crossbar being the only highlight of his game. He needs this cup tie to display his qualities and his international form warrants another start.

Left Wing: Raheem Sterling (England)

The fans are completely fed up the experienced winger’s inconsistency and would rather watch Mykhailo Mudryk start the game. But after picking up a minor knock before the Brentford game, there is uncertainty surrounding his injury status. It would be a 50-50 call for Pochettino as both the players need this game and it may ultimately boil down to Mudryk’s fitness test.

Striker: Nicolas Jackson (Senegal)

Those preseason performances had the Chels’ faithful convinced that Nicolas Jackson is ‘him’. But nothing seems to work out for the Senegalese International. Premier League legend Alan Shearer didn’t hold back on Jackson saying:

"“They were never ever going to score today, Chelsea. To be more prolific you have to get yourself into scoring positions. There was a complete lack of movement from him [Jackson] today. He looks very raw and at times unsure what to do. You’ve got to make defenders work. Goalscorers don’t hang around on the edge of the box like he does. It’s his job to get on the end of it.”"

With Christopher Nkunku still months away from returning to the pitch, Jackson seriously needs to step up. He’d want to bag a couple of goals against the likes of Blackburn and then build on that performance. If Chelsea manage to take a comfortable lead in the first half, the fans would also love to see more of Deivid Washington and Alex Matos.

What changes would you make to this lineup?