Chelsea were held to a 2-2 draw in dramatic fashion by Spurs last weekend and next up, they take on Leeds United.
The Blues head to Elland Road for a Sunday afternoon kick-off and they will be hoping to get back to winning ways before things start getting complicated.
The way things are going in recent seasons, teams can miss out on a top-four spot by one or two points so Tuchel will have to ensure that there are no further hiccups.
Chelsea are undefeated in their last six matches in the Premier League and they also have a very solid record against Leeds United as the Elland Road outfit haven’t yet been able to beat the Blues.
Chelsea were phenomenal against Spurs but after the final whistle, Thomas Tuchel was shown a red card meaning he will have to watch from the stands on Sunday and this could be a key factor when making split-second decisions.
Chelsea’s team news vs Leeds United:
Reece James played as the right-sided centre-back against Spurs, primarily to counter Son’s pace down that wing but against Leeds United, Azpilicueta should be coming back into the side with James moving to the wing-back role.
The midfield area will be a cause of concern for the manager because Mateo Kovacic is out with a knee injury and N’Golo Kante has now joined that list.
Kalidou Koulibaly isn't your average centre-back 🚀 pic.twitter.com/p7BAURRnvc
— GOAL (@goal) August 14, 2022
Speaking on Kante’s injury, Tuchel had said: ‘It seems like a muscle injury, a hamstring. He said he feels it pretty strong, so not good.’
With Kovacic and Kante both ruled out, Ruben Loftus-Cheek should be able to retain his place in the side however, there’s also a slim chance Connor Gallagher comes into the side to play alongside Jorginho.
Cucurella was one of the standout players for Chelsea last weekend and he will surely retain his place, keeping Ben Chilwell on the bench.
With no replacement for Romelu Lukaku coming in(yet), it’s Raheem Sterling who has been leading the line for Chelsea but this plan is not working for Tuchel so far. Sterling is not a natural goal-scorer and if the Blues cannot bring in a world-class forward then they are going to be in deep trouble.
The likes of Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech have fallen down the pecking order this season so at best, they will get a few minutes towards the end of the match.
Chelsea predicted line up vs Leeds United:
Predicted Starting Line up(3-4-2-1): Mendy; Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Koulibaly; Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek/Gallagher, Reece James, Cucurella; Havertz, Mason Mount; Raheem Sterling.
