Chelsea started their 22/23 Premier League campaign with a 1-0 win over Everton and next up, they take on an in-form Tottenham Hotspur.
The Blues did make a couple of good signings during the summer but Thomas Tuchel is clearly not happy with the business done so far, primarily because he still has some prominent problems with the squad.
Despite the three points, Chelsea did not look particularly comfortable against Everton and this will be a major cause of concern for the manager – particularly cause Spurs are in top form right now.
Tuchel’s side are undefeated in their previous four meetings against Spurs across all competitions but even if they can pick up a draw, it will be a brilliant result for the home side since this is only the second game of the season.
Chelsea’s team news vs Tottenham Hotspur:
The biggest boost for the manager is that he has a fully fit squad for this high-profile encounter. However, this will also mean he will have to get his selection spot on and there will be absolutely no margin for error.
Koulibaly looked really composed and confident on his Chelsea debut and he will once again start alongside Thiago Silva and Azpilicueta.
Cucurella came off the bench against Everton last weekend but there’s a big chance, he will get his first start in blue. Tuchel needs someone who can break down Spurs’ backline and Cucurella is a bit more attack-minded than Ben Chilwell.
📊 @ChelseaFC have won their opening match of a #PL season for the 20th time – no club have won more 💪#EVECHE pic.twitter.com/zHHFaw46sk
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 6, 2022
Mateo Kovacic is not expected to get a start this week either because the pairing of Kante and Jorginho will be apt to break up attacks and stop the likes of Kane and Kulusevski.
The attacking department is the major area of concern for Chelsea because the club haven’t been able to replace Romelu Lukaku yet. Timo Werner has also left the club to head back to Germany so if no major striker is coming into the club in the next few days then Kai Havertz will once again lead the line.
Chelsea predicted line up vs Spurs:
Predicted Starting Line up(3-4-2-1): Mendy; Silva, Koulibaly, Azpilicueta; Cucurella/Chilwell, Kante, Jorginho, Reece James; Sterling, Mason Mount; Kai Havertz.