West London giants Chelsea will chase an eighth unbeaten game at home when they return to Premier League action on Sunday following an eight-goal thriller against Slavia Prague in the Europa League. Chelsea reached the Europa League semi-finals by beating Slavia Praha 5-3 on aggregate in an exciting game on Thursday which saw Pedro scoring a brace as Slavia Praha managed to put on a tough competition for the English giant.
Chelsea, who now face German side Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-finals, were leading 4-1 at the half-time of the second leg before Slavia’s Petr Sevcik slammed home two goals early in the half, tapering the aggregate score to 5-3.
Maurizio Sarri’s men currently sit fifth in the Premier League table ahead of Sunday’s game, a place behind Arsenal who leads on the basis of goal difference. Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester United have all lost their respective games on this matchday which has opened the gates for the Blues to book their berth in the Champions League for next season.
Sarri will be looking forward to naming his strongest squad for the game as he wishes to grab this fantastic opportunity of getting ahead in the race for the Champions League. However, at this time of season having a fully fit team is a luxury that only a few managers in the league can afford.
Injury Updates And Latest Stories:
Star forward Eden Hazard was on the receiving end of some harsh treatment against Slavia Prague. It is quite doubtful that Sarri will give him a green light to start in this game. Addressing Hazard’s injury, Sarri said: “No, nothing serious I think. Only a knock. A strong knock. I think he needs to recover for Monday.”
Antonio Rudiger had to be helped off the pitch by two physios at the weekend. This was after suffering a knee injury while in action against title contender Liverpool. The defender is however supposed to be back in action on April 28. It is when the Blues take on Manchester United. That comes as the race for a Champions League ticket intensifies. Looking at his injury, assistant manager Gianfranco Zola said: “It does not look as bad as we thought. He is a strong boy and should be back earlier [than initially feared]. There is a strong chance he will be back for the Man United game.”
Spanish star Marcos Alonso is also struggling with an injury at the moment. That was after picking up a gluteal injury before his side’s clash with Slavia Praha in the Europa League. The left-back will be looking forward to getting back on the pitch. That is, as this injury doesn’t seem to be a major issue for the player.
Sarri will obviously want to rotate the squad a bit. It will be quite interesting to see what kind of lineup he puts up against The Clarets. That is in their match in the top flight of English football.
Predicted Lineups:
Chelsea: Arrizabalaga – Emerson – David Luiz – Christensen – Azpilicueta – Loftus-Cheek – Jorginho – Kante – Willian – Higuain – Hudson-Odoi
Burnley: Heaton – Lowton – Mee – Tarkowski – Taylor – Hendrick – Westwood – Cork – McNeil, Barnes – Wood
