Chelsea face a tricky test away to Aston Villa this evening as they aim to make up for lost ground in the Premier League title race.
Just one win in their last four games has seen the Blues slip up in their bid to become champions, with Thomas Tuchel’s side third in the table, six points off leaders Manchester City and three points off second-placed Liverpool.
The club did win their last fixture however, progressing to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup after beating Brentford 2-0 last Wednesday.
Villa meanwhile are one of the league’s in-form teams, with new manager Steven Gerrard winning four of his opening six games in charge of the West Midlands club.
The Blues’ recent disappointing run can largely be attributed to an outbreak of COVID-19 within the Chelsea camp, which had decimated Tuchel’s options for their least league game, with the German coach able to name just four outfield players on the bench for the goalless draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Thankfully, many key players are expected to be back in time for Boxing Day, including Romelu Lukaku, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jorginho who have all tested negative for the virus.
The game has come too soon for defender Ben Chilwell, while N’Golo Kante is fit for selection after he was hurried back from injury for the Wolves clash.
Andreas Christensen is back in training following a minor back injury and is expected to make the trip to Villa Park, but he may not be fit enough to start.
Finally, German pair Kai Havertz and Timo Werner have missed the last two games with illness and a positive COVID-19 test respectively, and there has been no mention as to their availability for the Villa clash.
Who should Chelsea look to keep, loan or sell this January? Have your say from the options below
So, with that all taken into account, football.london takes a look at the squad Tuchel has available to him for the Boxing Day game, which promises to be a cracker.
Goalkeepers: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marcus Bettinelli, Edouard Mendy
Defenders: Antonio Rudiger, Marcos Alonso, Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva, Reece James, Cesar Azpilicueta, Trevoh Chalobah, Malang Sarr
Midfielders: Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Saul Niguez, Ross Barkley, Mason Mount
Forwards: Romelu Lukaku, Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech
