Thomas Tuchel has been forced into a number of changes from the weekend victory over Leeds United after a number of positive Covid cases at the Chelsea on Wednesday.
Football.London learned earlier that there were at least four possible cases following a round of testing at Cobham on Wednesday and there are absences from the squad this evening.
The players were tested once again at the team hotel on Thursday and the club has always intended to play tonight’s game despite seeing other games in the Premier League postponed due to recent outbreaks.
Those who don’t make the squad for the game against Everton are Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner and Callum Hudson-Odoi and Kai Havertz. Tuchel will confirm pre-match whether they have tested positive for Covid or are injured.
It appears that Christian Pulisic will starts up front for the Blues and he is supported by Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech in the absence of Havertz, who is not named in the squad.
Marcos Alonso starts at left wing-back, with Reece James on the opposite side. The middle trio comprises of Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger, with Trevoh Chalobah returning to the Blues bench after injury where he is joined by Andreas Christensen.
Jorginho and Ruben Loftus-Cheek line up in the middle of the park, with the returning N’Golo Kante fit enough for a spot on the bench as confirmed by Tuchel on Wednesday. Ross Barkley is the only attacking player named among the substitutes by Tuchel this evening.
Edouard Mendy, as expected, keeps his place in goal and will be desperate to return to clean sheet ways having shipped six goals in his last two Premier League outings,
Chelsea: Mendy; James, Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger, Alonso; Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek; Ziyech, Mount, Pulisic.
