Dugout Discussion

Barkley and Abraham benched as injured Chilwell misses out

Chelsea take on Leicester City in the second and final Premier League fixture to take place on Sunday.

Kick-off at Stamford Bridge is at 16:30 BST.

There has only been one goal scored in the last three league meetings between these two clubs: two stalemates sandwiching the Foxes’ 1-0 win in west London in December 2018.

The Chelsea starting XI shows only one change from the side that took on Liverpool in midweek, with Mason Mount (£6.0m) replacing Mateo Kovacic (£5.5m) in midfield.

That means there is again no place for Ross Barkley (£6.0m) or Tammy Abraham (£7.0m), who are among the substitutes.

Pedro (£7.0m) and Christian Pulisic (£7.5m) will flank Olivier Giroud (£7.0m) in the Blues’ attack, while Willian (£7.0m) makes the bench.

Ben Chilwell (£5.5m) won’t feature for the visitors this afternoon, with his place at left-back being taken by Christian Fuchs (£4.5m).

Chilwell misses out with a minor hip injury.

That is Brendan Rodgers’ only change to the side that drew 0-0 with Wolves in Gameweek 1, so Ayoze Perez (£6.5m) and James Maddison (£7.0m) will again support Jamie Vardy (£9.0m) in attack.

The Foxes are without a Premier League goal in three matches stretching back to April of last season, although have admittedly faced tricky opposition in the form of Wolves, Manchester City and Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea in that time.

Rodgers’ side managed only three shots from inside the box against a stubborn Wolves side last weekend.

They may get more joy out of a Chelsea backline that has shipped six goals in their two competitive matches in 2019/20, however.

Lampard’s troops also conceded on eight occasions in their final three pre-season friendlies.

The Blues look more promising going forward, however, having racked up 38 shots against Manchester United and Liverpool over the past week.

Chelsea XI (4-2-3-1): Kepa, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Zouma, Emerson, Kante, Jorginho, Pedro, Mount, Pulisic, Giroud.

Leicester City XI (4-3-3): Schmeichel, Ricardo, Evans, Soyuncu, Fuchs, Choudhury, Ndidi, Tielemans, Maddison, Perez, Vardy.

Lessons learned from Gameweek 2

2,346 Comments Post a Comment
  1. diesel001
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Rodgers needs to drop the Leicester defence deeper than usual IMO. Fuchs is slow and it will be easier for them to defend with more in front of them

  2. Yank Revolution
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Mount G

  3. g40steve
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Mount G

  4. MITHRRANDIRR
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Ominous!

  5. diesel001
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Terrible error from Ndidi

  6. Agger
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    How many have Mount round here?

    1. Chilli Heatwave
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Few

  7. twoplustwo
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Mount real deal lads, best player I’ve seen at Derby (maybe not saying much)

    1. Yank Revolution
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Love that goal he just scored...all hard work

    2. diesel001
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Disagree. Possibly in time, but I still think he loses the ball too much and gets bullied off the ball too easily.

      1. twoplustwo
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        He did with us at first, him and Wilson looked like boys in their first few games

    3. MITHRRANDIRR
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Heard Will Hughes was a gem, where's he disappeared?

      1. twoplustwo
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Starting for Watford isn’t bad?

        1. MITHRRANDIRR
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 8 months ago

          Not bad, not great either. Maybe the hype was unwarranted.

    4. The Ejiptian King
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Better than Paulo Wanchope?

  8. MITHRRANDIRR
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Brilliant finish that!

  9. Siggy in the Middle
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Mt Goal

  10. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Brilliant from Mount.

  11. Greasy Grealish Gang
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Leicester shocking. Get your act together.

  12. L'Aeroplanino
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Mount goal

  13. andrewe63
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    #PrayForLeicester

  14. JustPark
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Why did I go with Ben Gibson for bench fodder?!

  15. Emiliano Sala
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    So barkley to mount. Easy

  16. DA Minnion (Former great)
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Playing Perez instead of Lun was a terrible mistake.

    1. 007 [RoboKlopp]
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      In the same boat, hope Perez can do something

    2. g40steve
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Yep......

    3. Pumpkinhead - I'm ITK …
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Only in hindsight.

    4. Pukki Blinders
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      In hindsight, no it wasn't

      1. Brosstan
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        ?

  17. fr3d
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    omg I had Mount in one of my preseason drafts

    1. have you seen cyan
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      omg I had mount when I pressed autofill

    2. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      I had him for 3 weeks but realised 6m for a non-nailed player isn't viable. Will get him at some point.

      1. Unliklinho
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        I think he's a good pick for the next few. He's one of the players Lampard seems to want to build the team around...

  18. Hazz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Mason Mount - the one true Barkley.

  19. thomas19390
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Ryan,Button
    Digne,Robbo,Zinchenko,Aarons,Lundstram
    Salah,Sterling,Perez,Martial,Dendoncker
    King,Wilson,Jota
    0,5 ITB
    I am so tempted to do Robbo,Perez,Wilson>Ings,KDB,Van Dijk(-4)
    Guys your thoughts?

  20. Jurgen Schlopp
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Hey Guys, where can i watch the game? need some stream site please

  21. andrewe63
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    This nonsense with defender/goalie pin-pong HAS TO STOP managers?

    1. diesel001
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      You can do it if you have the players, but most teams in the PL don't have the players IMO. Part of the issue is that tactical thinking seems to be to copy Guardiola for most of the younger managers.

  22. sirmorbach
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Robinson-Mount spending my 0.5 is a no brainer, right?

  23. Agger
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Lamps will be purring, fantastic pressing

    1. andrewe63
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      all the more reason why Leicester defenders should stop believing they are Barca

  24. Siggy in the Middle
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Who's more important to own over the coming weeks? Son or Rashford? I've Martial already if that makes a difference

    1. Tcheco
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Son

  25. df34
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    RANT ALERT. I wish Sky would stop showing replays when the live action is on and consequently we occasionally miss goals , like that one. It’s something they started last year , sometimes they’re showing replays and by the time you join the live action the ball is up the other end of the pitch.

    1. diesel001
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Agree

      1. df34
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 8 months ago

        Thank you Diesel, Bruce Millington Editor of Racing Post wrote about it during the summer.

  26. Bartowski
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Who would you possibly drop to a cheaper player to get in Kane?
    A - VVD
    B - Coleman
    C - Zinch

    1. Amey
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      C

    2. Doosra - ☭DeclanMyGeniusâ…
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Zinchenko.

    3. Botman and Robben
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      C

    4. Belsunz
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      C - not nailed at all with the arrival of Cancelo

  27. yakirh
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Said all day I was looking for 6m midfielder and it could be Mount or Barkley
    Thank you Mason, get in my team

  28. shearer9
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    People were saying Lundstram was gonna be replaced with their new signing. Stuck with Rico now lol

    1. Agger
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Don't listen to people then,. Most are clueless on here

    2. Brosstan
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Tbh it was a logical thing to believe. Hes their record signing and Lundstram was crap last season. It could still very much happen if SHU have a few poor games in a row.

    3. Yank Revolution
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Youre right...and it was the fans of the team saying that (who are more in tune with their goings-on than we are!)

  29. jdp219
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    2FTs to play. Looking at possibilities, but will reassess later. Not against swapping TAA and Robbo if that's the better move.

    1) TAA, Robinson > Mina/AWB, Ndombele
    2) TAA, Robinson > Lunny, Martial
    3) TAA, Wood > Lunny, Rashford
    4) TAA, Salah, Robinson > Lunny, Mane, KDB (-4)
    5) TAA, Perez, Wood > Lunny, Cantwell, Kane (-4)

    1. fantasyxprt11
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      I would do 5, high risk high reward

  30. have you seen cyan
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 8 months ago

    Leicester sort it out ffs