Frank Lampard made nine changes for the resounding win away to Sevilla on Wednesday evening but with no injury concerns and a dead rubber against Krasnodar next Tuesday, expect the strongest available team against Leeds United tonight.
The jury is out on what that looks like, however, with the head coach stressing the level of competition within his squad.
Rotation will be crucial throughout December but Lampard will be determined to get a win over Leeds and Marcelo Bielsa for obvious reasons.
The big question is who starts in the centre of attack. Dropping Olivier Giroud to the bench after he scored all four in Spain seems near impossible but Tammy Abraham has been far from bad.
There is another dilemma on the left wing, too, with Christian Pulisic returning to fitness. Timo Werner os close to a dead cert when it comes to the starting XI, but does that mean Pulisic is currently no more than an impact player off the bench if the German remains out wide?
With no injury concerns, three quarters of the defence picks itself with right back the only question mark. Does captain Cesar Azpilicueta get the nod over Reece James?
In midfield it looks like N’Golo Kante will continue at the base with Mason Mount and Kai Havertz, searching for sharpness following coronavirus, as the joint No8s but that is also harsh on Mateo Kovacic.
Billy Gilmour could appear off the bench depending on how the game is progressing but the young Scot is definitely in line for a first appearance of the campaign against the Russian side in the final Champions League Group E game on Tuesday night.
Chelsea team to face Leeds United: Edouard Mendy; Reece James, Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma, Ben Chilwell; Kai Havertz, N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount; Hakim Ziyech, Olivier Giroud, Timo Werner.
* Tonight’s game kicks off at 8pm and you can follow all the action in our live blog with Alan Smith and Oliver Harbord.
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