It's the penultimate match before Chelsea and the majority of their squad jet off to Qatar to join up with their countries for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
The Blues take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening in the third round of the Carabao Cup. After the defeat to Arsenal on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League, it's a chance for Graham Potter to heavily rotate his team before the last game before the break from club football against Newcastle United on Saturday evening.
Potter has been questioned in recent days for not rotating his team enough against Dinamo Zagreb last week. Chelsea went into the match having already qualified as group winners in the Champions League, but Potter still fielded a strong side against the Croatians in a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge.
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So, with high-flying Newcastle to come in a few days' time at St. James' Park, it remains to be seen whether Potter will use the Carabao Cup tie to rest his senior players or if he will field a full-strength side at the Etihad. football.london's Chelsea writers Bobby Vincent, Adam Newson and Scott Trotter, predict the line-up below.
Adam Newson
There is little doubt in my mind that tomorrow's visit to Manchester City will be a very difficult test for Chelsea, far more so than their Champions League clash against Dinamo Zagreb last week. Yet I still believe changes have to be made by Potter to his side at the Etihad Stadium.
I would continue with Edouard Mendy in goal, and I think it's worth shifting to a back three in order to try to contain Pep Guardiola's side. So I'd go with Trevoh Chalobah, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella in defence and give Thiago Silva a much-needed night off ahead of the trip to Newcastle.
The debate will then be as to who fills in the wing-back positions. On the right, I would go with Ruben Loftus-Cheek given he has experience playing the role under Thomas Tuchel. On the left, I'd bring youngster Lewis Hall in for just his second start for the senior side.
Potter spoke positively about Mateo Kovacic's fitness, so I suspect the Croatian will come back into the midfield, and there should be a second start for Denis Zakaria after he made his debut and got on the scoresheet last Wednesday against Dinamo. I'd also bring Conor Gallagher for his energy and ability to break into the penalty area.
Christian Pulisic's performances in recent matches off the bench deserve a start, and it's the same for Armando Broja, who I would bring in to lead the attack. That would mean another night on the bench for Hakim Ziyech – but he doesn't appear to be in Potter's plans.
Adam's XI: Mendy; Chalobah, Koulibaly, Cucurella; Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic, Zakaria, Gallagher, Hall; Broja, Pulisic.
Bobby Vincent
Out of all of Potter's team selections thus far, this might just be the most difficult one to predict. Saying that the goalkeeper position might be the most straightforward. Expect Mendy to start in between the posts in Manchester. Kepa Arrizabalaga isn't expected to play again before the World Cup because of an injury.
A back-three of Cesar Azpilicueta, Chalobah and Koulibaly. Silva should be handed a rest and might not even travel with the rest of his team-mates up to Manchester. Koulibaly wasn't involved against Arsenal, so should he be fit enough, the defender should start.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek at right wing-back, with Cucurella on the other flank. Chelsea are quite short on options for these positions, and Potter has used attackers there in recent weeks, but away at Man City, he might go down another route.
A midfield three of Zakaria, Gallagher and Kovacic. Away at City, Potter might want to pack the midfield and given none of these three started on Sunday so they should be relatively fresh compared to others.
A front two of Broja and Pulisic. Both have the speed to hurt Man City on the break, and both are low on game time, so Potter might try to freshen his side up. Potter confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that Omari Hutchinson and Lewis Hall have both impressed in recent weeks, and they will be in the squad for the match.
Bobby's XI: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Chalobah, Koulibaly; Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic, Zakaria, Gallagher, Cucurella; Pulisic, Broja.
Scott Trotter
A week on from Potter's last opportunity to rest and rotate, he's perhaps presented with another. The Chelsea boss may have had his eyes set on launching a campaign for his first piece of silverware, but a combination of scheduling and injuries could make it a difficult sell.
The Blues will go forward with the intention of winning, even with the prize being the next round taking place between the World Cup final and Christmas day, reducing the rest of those heading to Qatar. Nevertheless, Potter will want some momentum from a good performance after the defeat to Arsenal, and there will still be some quality on the pitch.
Silva may finally get his rest to ensure he is primed to take on Newcastle at the weekend, while Jorginho's injury leaves an opportunity for Zakaria to earn his second start. He could be joined by Kovacic, who started on the bench at the weekend. There will certainly be a question of whether Loftus-Cheek is deployed as a wing-back for the occasion or for Potter to utilise a back four.
Broja deserves to lead the line, particularly with the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Raheem Sterling struggling, while Pulisic and Ziyech may also be afforded an opportunity.
Chelsea XI - Mendy; Azpilicueta, Chalobah, Koulibaly, Cucurella; Zakaria, Kovacic, Gallagher, Mount; Broja, Pulisic.
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