Fans’ choice Chelsea lineup against Everton: Stars from midweek should be rewarded with another start

Chelsea’s chances in the Europa League may have increased quite a bit this week, but the league’s a different story. After a disappointing draw to Wolverhampton, the Blues will be looking to get back to winning ways immediately when they visit Everton at Goodison Park. This has rarely been an easy away game so Chelsea and Maurizio Sarri will have to bring their A game.

PREDICTED LINEUP

It’s nice to see that all the controversy surrounding Kepa Arrizabalaga has more or less disappeared now and we can solely concentrate on him shining once again between the sticks.

Maurizio Sarri will surely revert back to his current trusted back four in Emerson, David Luiz, Antonio Rüdiger and César Azpilicueta. Andreas Christensen proved once more how capable he is in Chelsea’s thumping of Dynamo Kiev, but it’s hard to see him having any real chance of starting in the Premier League at the moment.

Similarly, Ruben Loftus-Cheek also had a good performance on Thursday and has done more than enough to warrant being preferred to Mateo Kovačić or Ross Barkley in midfield. But as he himself admitted after going 90 minutes on Thursday, he is still coming up to full match fitness, and thus Sarri will have to rotate the midfield. Since Kovačić also completed a rare full-90, Ross Barkley should get the call in front of his old home crowd.

Eden Hazard got some extra days rest this week and that’s a good thing as it doesn’t seem unreasonable to assume that he’ll have to bail Chelsea out yet again. Gonzalo Higuaín will presumably return after missing the last game due to illness while it’s probably Pedro’s turn on the right after Williand and Hudson-Odoi got the nod in midweek.

4-3-3
Arrizabalaga | Emerson, David Luiz, Rüdiger, Azpilicueta | Barkley, Jorginho, Kanté | Hazard, Higuaín, Pedro

THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE

Chelsea’s win over Dynamo Kiev saw several excellent performances from the second string, and the WAGNH community duly rewarded them with a second, in reality unlikely, start in just 72 hours. Giroud, Loftus-Cheek, and Hudson-Odoi thus retain their places ahead of Higuaín (46%), Barkley (25%), Kovačić (22%), Willian (18%) and Pedro (43%). Christensen (41%) does not get a similar boost however.

4-3-3 (78%)
Arrizabalaga (97%) | Emerson (74%), David Luiz (70%), Rüdiger (88%), Azpilicueta (96%) | Loftus-Cheek (71%), Jorginho (80%), Kanté (98%) | Hazard (97%), Giroud (50%), Hudson-Odoi (49%)

PREFERRED LINEUP

While I agree with most of the community’s choices I would like to see Andreas Christensen reap the rewards of his recent good form and get his fourth league start of the season, especially as I’m not convinced of Sarri’s favoured centre-back pairing of David Luiz and Rüdiger.

4-3-3
Arrizabalaga | Emerson, David Luiz, Christensen, Azpilicueta | Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Kanté | Hazard, Higuaín, Hudson-Odoi

COME ON YOU BLUES!!!