Chelsea predicted lineup vs West Ham - Premier League
- Chelsea take on London rivals West Ham on Sunday
- Blues enjoyed a morale-boosting victory over Tottenham in midweek
- Levi Colwill among players who could return to matchday squad
Double, double, double, Mauricio Pochettino has done the doubleeee...over Spurs.
Chelsea's Thursday night victory didn't quite boast the chaos of their 4-1 triumph in the reverse fixture, but the win was doubtlessly more satisfying. Pochettino had a starting XI worth of players absent, yet they strolled to a 2-0 victory over their bitter rivals.
Some things just never change, eh?
Chelsea's dire injury situation is unlikely to change drastically for Sunday's clash with West Ham, although there's hope that some, including Levi Colwill, could return to the matchday squad.
With that in mind, here's how 90min thinks the Blues could line up against the Hammers this weekend.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs West Ham (4-2-3-1)
GK: Djordje Petrovic - Even if Robert Sanchez does return to the fold, Petrovic will remain Chelsea's number one for the rest of the season.
RB: Alfie Gilchrist - Reece James could return before the campaign's up, but Gilchrist deserves to keep his place on Sunday having impressed against Tottenham.
CB: Trevoh Chalobah - Fresh off scoring his first Chelsea goal in over two years, academy graduate Chalobah is a shoo-in for Sunday's game.
CB: Benoit Badiashile - Thiago Silva is unlikely to return this weekend, so Badiashile should continue alongside Chalobah. Pochettino requires some defensive continuity and the former Monaco defender produced a stable showing on Thursday.
LB: Marc Cucurella - He's never going to live up to his hefty price tag, but Cucurella has been a bright spark for the Blues in recent weeks.
CM: Moises Caicedo - Caicedo will only get better in a Chelsea shirt. The Ecuador international hasn't enjoyed the greatest of debut seasons, but he's always available and has impressed more often than not in recent outings.
CM: Conor Gallagher - Pochettino's clever utilisation of Cucurella on Thursday allowed Gallagher to operate higher up and a similar dynamic is expected against the compact Hammers this weekend.
RW: Noni Madueke - The winger is certainly showing signs of life. Madueke's capable of beating his full-back both ways and such an attribute could prove key in breaking this West Ham defence down.
AM: Cole Palmer - Palmer endured a rare off night against Spurs, but he still contributed in a big way with a cracking free-kick which thundered off the bar and led to Chelsea's second goal.
LW: Raheem Sterling - Sterling trained ahead of Thursday's win and could be involved on Sunday.
ST: Nicolas Jackson - Jackson has now scored 36% of his Premier League goals against Tottenham. Can he do it against another London club on Sunday?