Cucurella starts, midfield question, Havertz role

Cucurella starts, midfield question, Havertz role – Predicted Chelsea team vs Tottenham

If given the choice of opponent for Chelsea's first game of the Premier League season at Stamford Bridge, Thomas Tuchel would not have picked Tottenham Hotspur. Yet that – and former head coach Antonio Conte – is what awaits the Blues on a baking hot August afternoon.

"It is what it is – it's also very exciting because you feel the tension in the house," Tuchel said during his pre-match press conference. "People will be excited to watch and follow. In general, we'd like to have more time, me especially. But we don't.

"We don't have time as in football, you need to be ready at the moment and soon be ready twice a week to be competitive and live up to our own standards. They took advantage of the situation [stability at the club] this summer, which is fair enough, which is what they do in this kind of league.

"Now we try to find solutions to win this game and to be as fast as possible on our highest level. It can also help to have a big match like this early – it lifts you up and gives you a push which is sometimes needed."

Chelsea began their season with a 1-0 victory over Everton at Goodison Park last weekend. Tottenham, meanwhile, ran out convincing 4-1 winners over Southampton. And given the shape Conte has whipped his squad into over the summer, today's clash will not be an easy one for the Blues.

So Tuchel needs to get his side right – and there are big decisions to make. Edouard Mendy was between the posts for Chelsea in just one of their four victories over Tottenham last season but will start at Stamford Bridge this afternoon. Kepa Arrizabalaga’s future remains uncertain amid interest from Napoli.

Tuchel highlighted Spurs’ counter-attacking prowess ahead of the game and that puts Trevoh Chalobah in contention to come in on the right of the back three. However, the academy graduate is likely to have to wait for his first outing of the campaign with Tuchel expected to go with Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly.

Reece James will continue at right wing-back while on the opposite flank, Tuchel has a choice to make between Marc Cucurella and Ben Chilwell. It's a dilemma for the Chelsea head coach but with Chilwell is still feeling his way back to match sharpness following his knee ligament injury last season, expect to summer signing Cucurella to start

Mateo Kovacic is ruled out of the game, as Tuchel told football.london on Friday: "He has issues with his knee, always a little bit of a reaction. We decided to take a step back and increase treatment time to reduce the stress that comes from training to have a normal reaction before we start again. Everybody else is available."

That means the midfield two should remain N’Golo Kante and Jorginho. However, Conor Gallagher’s energy off the bench could be a huge factor in the second period no matter the state of the game.

Raheem Sterling, now the leader of Chelsea’s attack, will start but perhaps in a wide role on this occasion to try to take advantage of the space left by Tottenham’s wing-backs when they advanced forward.

Mason Mount would then take up the position on the opposite flank with Kai Havertz used as a number nine - and there is pressure on the German forward to deliver following the departures of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner this summer.

Predicted line-up: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Koulibaly; James, Kante, Jorginho, Cucurella; Mount, Havertz, Sterling.

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