Chelsea will take on Arsenal this evening in a Premier League clash in which a win could give Frank Lampard’s men a major morale boost heading into the final stages of the season.
The Blues have endured a torrid season and are winless in all competitions since they defeated Leicester on 11 March.
This abysmal form means the West London outfit is in the bottom half of the table and needs 12 points from their last six top-flight games just to match their worst-ever Premier League points tally (50 in 2015/16 and 1995/96).
How could Chelsea line up against Arsenal?
Caretaker manager Frank Lampard is expected to name a rotated line up after losing at home to Brentford in their last outing and failing to score a goal, with four changes in mind.
3-4-3 – Kepa; Fofana, Silva, Badiashile; Loftus-Cheek, Fernandez, Kante, Chilwell; Sterling, Mudryk, Aubameyang.
Kepa Arrizabalaga is expected to start in goal as Eduoard Mendy is still yet to start a fixture post the World Cup.
Thiago Silva and Wesley Fofana will begin proceedings, whilst the first Chelsea change will see Benoit Badiashile replace Trevoh Chalobah. The Frenchman has started eight Premier League games and the Blues have only conceded six goals in those outings.
The second change will see Loftus-Cheek replace Cesar Azpilicueta at right wing-back. The club captain endured a nightmare against the Bees by failing to register any tackles or crosses before his misery was compounded by an own goal.
Conversely, the Englishman’s pace and physicality will be far more useful to threaten Arsenal. On the other flank, Ben Chilwell will keep his place.
Fernandez and Kante will start together in central midfield. In a dismal season, the return of the 2018 World Cup winner from a long-term hamstring injury has been a small positive for the Blues as he has recorded the second-highest average rating of the squad (7.04), as per WhoScored.
The biggest change will see a big reshuffle of the attack. Raheem Sterling will be the only forward to start the affair from the Brentford game. Mudryk will replace Conor Gallagher. The "relentless" £50k-per-week man – as per one analyst – has been deployed in more advanced positions in recent weeks, but he was substituted at half-time last time out due to an ineffective display.
The final alteration will see former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang deployed as the focal point. Earlier in the week, Lampard suggested that the 33-year-old may start due to having a “certain motivation” against his old club.
