???Chelsea welcome London rivals ??Spurs to Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon in a huge match which could go a long way towards deciding the fate the ?Premier League’s top four.
The home side currently trail their visitors by five points, therefore a win is vital for Antonio Conte’s men if they’re to get right back in the race for Champions League qualification.
Let’s see how the Italian may set his side up:
Torhüter
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Courtois13
?Chelsea’s undisputed number one Thibaut Courtois withdrew from international duty last week due to an ongoing hamstring issue and faces a late fitness test ahead of Sunday’s clash, with boss Antonio Conte hopeful of his inclusion.
Verteidigung
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Azpilicueta28
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Christensen27
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Rüdiger2
?Gary Cahill’s exclusion from the England squad highlights his ongoing struggle this campaign which is set to continue on Sunday.
Despite returning in the last league outing against Crystal Palace, Conte showed against Leicester in the FA Cup and in both European legs against Barcelona that his preferred back three consists of Cezar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, with that same trio in line to start this weekend should Christensen pass a fitness test of his own.
Mittelfeld
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Moses15
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Fábregas4
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Kanté7
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Alonso3
Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso will resume their roles providing width for this Chelsea side, with the latter fresh from his first? senior cap for Spain.
In a match as finely balanced as this one, the role of Cesc Fabregas and N’Golo Kante in winning the midfield battle will be hugely important if Chelsea are to get the all important victory.
Sturm
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Willian22
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Hazard10
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Pedro11
?Conte’s biggest selection headache will be deciding who will lead the line. Alvaro Morata finally broke his goalscoring duck for 2018 with his nicely taken finish against Leicester, whilst Olivier Giroud found the net on international duty with France.
That said, it is most likely Conte will continue with Eden Hazard operating in the false nine role, with in-form duo Willian and Pedro in support either side.
Let’