Jorginho Chelsea Premier League EPL
Willy Caballero, Kovacic, Pulisic, Jorginho, Reece James, Chelsea

Chelsea have seen their performance graph dip in recent weeks and they once again dropped points in the Premier League, this time with a 0-0 draw vs Wolves.

The draw means the Blues have lost considerable ground on the table-toppers but Thomas Tuchel has no time to sit and sulk over this result since Chelsea will now have to face Brentford in the League Cup.

The Blues face the Bees in the quarter-finals on Wednesday and with the kind of form they have shown in recent weeks, it’s hard to place all our money on Chelsea picking up an easy win.

Not only are Chelsea in poor form but Tuchel is also without a host of first-team players. While some are missing with injuries, others have tested positive for COVID in the previous few days.

Brentford too have problems of their own but unlike Chelsea, they have very little to lose which means Thomas Frank will throw the kitchen sink at the London outfit on Wednesday. Also, Brentford played their previous game 12 days ago which means their players would have had ample time to rest themselves.

Chelsea team news & injury updates vs Brentford:

Due to all the absentees, Trevoh Chalobah had to start in midfield against Wolves but he too picked up an injury and had to be removed during halftime.

Tuchel said after the Wolves game: “At the moment it is very painful. We still have hopes that it’s not serious, but we need to wait for further examination.”

Thiago Silva is surely going to be rested and with Chalobah a doubt, Rudiger is expected to hold onto his place.

Jorginho missed the weekend’s game due to fears that he too might be COVID positive and it’s still unclear if he will be available or not. If Jorginho is not ready then the problems will just multiply for the manager.

If the Italian is ruled out then Kovacic and Saul will have to pair up in defensive midfield. While this is not a bad pairing but Tuchel will have really reduced bench strength in that area if Jorginho is not available for selection.

Chelsea have confirmed that Lukaku, Werner, Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chilwell have all tested positive which means Tuchel has some major worries in the forward areas.

Hakim Ziyech also picked up a knock during the weekend and while the Chelsea manager has admitted that the injury is not serious but we don’t think the winger will be risked in midweek.

If Ruben Loftus-Cheek is back to full fitness then he will start in the final third or else Ross Barkley will come into the side.

UPDATE: Kai Havertz has also tested positive for COVID so the German will also miss out.

Chelsea predicted line up vs Brentford:

Predicted Starting Line up: Kepa Arrizabalaga; Christensen, Rudiger, Sarr; Jorginho/Saul, Mateo Kovacic; Alonso, Reece James; Loftus-Cheek/Barkley; Mount, Havertz.

Chelsea predicted line up vs Brentford-2021-EFL Cup

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