Brighton and Hove Albion 1 Chelsea 3

[Holymoly]

15 hours ago, JaneB said:

So relieved Pulisic has got over his injury :-)

Hope it doesn't become a recurring stress related injury like Kante

[chelboy]

So Chilwell and Ziyech out for a few weeks. Silva not in for Brighton and Kova suspended. Pulisic and Azpi fit again. 

We might see:

Cabby

James Zouma Rudiger Azpi

        Havertz Kante  Mount

CHO    Giroud.   Werner. 

[Flinkers]

Isn't James out too, or was that just precautionary?

I think we'll go

Kepa

Azpi - Rüdiger - Christensen - Alonso

Kante - Jorginho - Mount

Havertz - Abraham - Werner

[Dingus]

If CP10 is available and training, then he plays IMO.

Start the season as we mean to go.

[bert19]

35 minutes ago, Flinkers said:

Isn't James out too, or was that just precautionary?

I think we'll go

Kepa

Azpi - Rüdiger - Christensen - Alonso

Kante - Jorginho - Mount

Havertz - Abraham - Werner

😳

[chelboy]

33 minutes ago, Flinkers said:

Isn't James out too, or was that just precautionary?

I think we'll go

Kepa

Azpi - Rüdiger - Christensen - Alonso

Kante - Jorginho - Mount

Havertz - Abraham - Werner

He’s back in training I think it was precautionary.

 

32 minutes ago, Dingus said:

If CP10 is available and training, then he plays IMO.

Start the season as we mean to go.

Apparently just started training a few days ago. After a big hamstring injury I wouldn’t start him. 

[The_Ghost]

Really difficult to predict the starting XI for this game. Jorginho, Abraham, Mount, Pulisic and Barkley have all spent the last 14 days in quarantine if the reports were true. 

Ziyech and Chilwell out due to injury. Pulisic and Azpi said to be touch and go, but it would be madness to risk Pulisic given how inportant he was towards the tailend of last season. If I had to make a guess, my starting XI would be;

--------------------Kepa

Azpi - Rüdiger - Zouma - Alonso

--Kanté-------Jorginho------Barkley

Havertz------Werner------Mount

Subs: Caballero, Christensen, James, Loftus-Cheek, Hudson-Odoi, Pulisic, Giroud

 

Injured: Ziyech, Chilwell, Gilmour

Suspended: Kovacic

Missing out: Silva (only training this weekend), Tomori, Emerson, Abraham, Batshuayi

 

Hopefully not the XI we will be seeing further down the line.

[Rob B]

I agree on not starting Pulisic - have him on the bench if need be...

I think Frank will go for...

                  Kepa

Azpi Zouma Rudiger Alonso

           Kante  Jorginho

 Havertz   Mount  Werner

                 Giroud

[The_Ghost]

2 hours ago, Rob B said:

I agree on not starting Pulisic - have him on the bench if need be...

I think Frank will go for...

                  Kepa

Azpi Zouma Rudiger Alonso

           Kante  Jorginho

 Havertz   Mount  Werner

                 Giroud

I’d be surprised to see him starting Werner at LW. That would be a pretty strange call to be honest. 

But I suppose anything is possible! Very hard to predict the line-up for the initial few games. Not only for us, but also for the other sides! 

[Rob B]

24 minutes ago, The_Ghost said:

I’d be surprised to see him starting Werner at LW. That would be a pretty strange call to be honest. 

But I suppose anything is possible! Very hard to predict the line-up for the initial few games. Not only for us, but also for the other sides! 

You may well be right, but this game is partly about picking those that are sharp and have been around / available.

With no Ziyech, and Pulisic literally just coming back off an injury, we are short out wide, and Werner offers a goal threat (without losing the physicality of Giroud) but provides the work rate too.  Havertz is available for selection but has only just joined up with the squad too, so even he isn’t nailed on IMO. 

I suppose Mount or RLC could play there, but I would be surprised if it’s Hudson-Odoi.