Chelsea may well be the Premier League’s new entertainers, and their chaotic Carabao Cup victory on Wednesday only emboldened that notion.
After succumbing at champions Arsenal last Sunday, the Blues bounced back from that disappointment by staging a remarkable cup comeback against historic rivals Leeds United. Four goals in 12 minutes saw Xabi Alonso’s men erase then usurp a 2–0 half-time deficit, as they eventually sailed into the fourth round as 6–3 victors.
Their attentions now pivot back to the Premier League, and on Saturday, a Hull City team that’s yet to concede a goal upon their return to the top-flight visit Stamford Bridge.
The underlying numbers suggest Chelsea are primed to take advantage of the Tigers’ overperformance, and Alonso will hope that key midfielder Moisés Caicedo is available to play some part in the contest.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Hull
GK: Emiliano Martínez—Chelsea’s new signing will almost certainly return between the posts after Mike Penders’s Carabao Cup opportunity.
CB: Wesley Fofana—The Frenchman made his first start of the season at Arsenal, having served a suspension during the opening two weeks. Fofana could switch over to his preferred right side.
CB: Maxence Lacroix—The summer addition has been a mainstay at the heart of Alonso’s defense, even playing 90 minutes on Wednesday.
CB: Levi Colwill—Alonso is carefully managing Colwill, who was dropped last weekend due to a minor fitness concern. The highly regarded defender missed almost the entirety of last season after tearing his ACL, and the Blues don’t want to take any chances.
RWB: Pedro Neto—Minutes in the frontline will be hard to come by, but it seems as if Neto, who signed a new six-year contract on Friday, is making this role his own.
CM: Reece James—James could perform a variety of roles in this system, including wing back and center back. For the moment, Alonso is trusting his captain in the middle of the park. James’ crossing ability from deep could help unlock the deep-lying Tigers.
Pick Your Chelsea XI!
CM: Roméo Lavia—Moisés Caicedo could be ready for more minutes this weekend, so this is a big outing for Lavia, who must continue to prove his worth in the midfield pivot. He’ll be content with merely staying fit, given his unrelenting battles with injury so far in West London.
LWB: Jorrel Hato—Hato is far from an ideal solution at wingback, but Alonso will likely continue with the Dutchman while Marco Palestra recovers from injury and Pep Chavarría gets up to speed.
AM: Cole Palmer—Palmer spearheaded Chelsea’s comeback in the week, and he loves playing against newly promoted teams. In 15 Premier League games against them, Palmer’s notched 15 goal contributions.
AM: Morgan Rogers—It’s been a productive start to Rogers’ career in West London, so far scoring or assisting in each of his three league appearances for the club.
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