Chelsea travel to Leeds United on Wednesday night with their position in third place on a knife-edge and their third consecutive FA Cup final to think about.
The Blues have failed to get a result in either of their two most recent attempts to win the FA Cup, despite reaching the showpiece final at Wembley, and will be looking to put that right against Liverpool, the team who beat them in the League Cup final earlier this season.
That game represents the final chance of silverware for Thomas Tuchel’s side this season, so the German head coach may prioritise that over their trip to Elland Road.
However, he’ll have to be careful with rotation as Chelsea’s poor run of results has ensured Arsenal now sit just one point back in fourth, while Tottenham remain in contention in fifth, five points behind the Blues.
So, victory over relegation-threatened Leeds is simply a must.
As a result, Tuchel won’t go too heavy on the changes, and injury issues will limit his hand even further.
N’Golo Kante and Jorginho are both out, as is Ben Chilwell, while Callum Hudson-Odoi is slowly coming back into the fold with regular training sessions under his belt.
Marcos Alonso was taken off at half-time in the draw against Wolves, with reports emerging of a bust-up with Tuchel. For that reason, Saul Niguez could be drafted in to play as the left-wing-back, a role he has played on occasion this year.
Thiago Silva will also be rested with the cup final in mind, while Cesar Azpilicueta could be dropped after a string of poor performances.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mateo Kovacic look the most likely duo in the middle of the park, but Mason Mount could drop deeper if needed. Romelu Lukaku’s brace last time out could earn him a start alongside Kai Havertz.
Predicted Chelsea Starting XI vs Leeds
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