Chelsea head into their Premier League showdown with Liverpool on Sunday afternoon having put together a four-match unbeaten streak in the top flight.
After last weekend's 5-2 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Frank Lampard's side have now registered eight points from a possible 12 since the middle of August.
However, having lost out to Valencia in the Champions League on Tuesday night, the Blues continue to wait for their first success of the season at Stamford Bridge.
Here, Sports Mole predicts how the West Londoners may line up for the encounter against the Champions League winners.
Out: Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Achilles),
Doubtful: N'Golo Kante (ankle), Antonio Rudiger (groin), Mason Mount (ankle), Emerson Palmieri (thigh), Callum Hudson-Odoi (lack of match fitness), Reece James (lack of match fitness)
While Lampard will hope to have N'Golo Kante available again after an ankle sprain, the Chelsea boss may opt against taking any risks on the midfielder.
The same applies with Mason Mount, who suffered an ankle knock against Valencia, and the duo are at best expected to be among the replacements.
Despite his hat-trick against Wolves, Tammy Abraham may find himself on the substitutes' bench given that Olivier Giroud impressed against Liverpool during last month's UEFA Super Cup final.
Christian Pulisic also produced a strong performance in that fixture, and that could lead to the United States international taking the place of Mount.
Regardless of whether Antonio Rudiger and Emerson Palmieri return to the squad, the back five from the Valencia match should remain the same.
Callum Hudson-Odoi could find himself on the bench ahead of a start in the EFL Cup next week.
> Click here to see how Liverpool could line up for this fixture.
body check tags ::
