Chelsea return to Premier League action this evening as they take on Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge. Graham Potter is in desperate need of a winning start to the second half of the season after the Blues lost their last four fixtures in all competitions prior to the World Cup.
A number of Chelsea stars have slowly reintegrated back into Potter's squad throughout December as the World Cup came to an end just over a week ago. Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech were the two players to go furthest into the tournament with both featuring in the third place play-off match after Croatia and Morocco were both knocked out in the semi-finals.
Ziyech's future remains uncertain heading into January despite his stock rising significantly following some impressive displays at the World Cup. Potter has a decision to make regarding whether to play most of his returning World Cup stars or to stick with those who trained under the Blues boss throughout the break.
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Chelsea may have hinted at which players are going to start this evening's Premier League clash against Bournemouth in a post on social media. Thiago Silva, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mason Mount all featured on the Chelsea Twitter graphic that was posted ahead of kick-off.
Christian Pulisic and Jorginho both feature on the programme cover for the match which could hint that both players will start for Graham Potter against the Cherries as well. Chelsea's Twitter account gave another hint after posting an image of Raheem Sterling on Monday, writing: "Patiently waiting for tomorrow."
Thiago Silva has posted his own matchday graphic on Instagram with a countdown for the game. The Brazilian defender had played more minutes than anyone else in the lead-up to the World Cup and then played four of the five matches for his country too, but given the defensive struggle with injuries and form, if he is fit enough to play then the 38-year-old may well be letting fans know of his involvement.
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