After a promising start to the new campaign of the Premier League, the London club Chelsea are now preparing for the second fixture of the competition and for that, they will be travelling to the Vicarage Road to face Walter Mazzarri’s squad, Watford.
The Blues recently defeated the all confident West ham United at the Stamford Bridge, where their star man Eden Hazard opened the scoring from the penalty spot. West Ham reacted from a very unlikely source, James Collins, as the 32-year-old’s shot ripped the rigging. The game was bound be end as a 1-1 draw, but then Chelsea’s striker Diego Costa stepped up and struck the winner in the dying minutes of the game and that gave us the view of Antonio Conte’s touch-line antiques.
On the other hand, Watford recently travelled to the St. Mary’s stadium and played a 1-1 draw.
Etienne Capoue opened the scoring for the Hornets, but Southampton’s new signing Nathan Redmond cancelled the opener and the game finished one goal apiece.
Without any doubt, Chelsea here will be travelling with a lot of confidence and also will be looking to get some more goals this time around. A win over West ham was surely an important one, but that gave us a glimpse of where the Blues needs to improve themselves. With a comparatively easy game to play, we expect Chelsea to grab all the points and here, we give you a predicted lineup for the Blues, that could give Watford a run for their money:
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois-
The towering Belgian was nothing more than a spectator last time out, as he was barely tested by the Hammers. Yes, he conceded the goal, but there was nothing he could have done about that. Courtois still needs to work on his consistency though as he looks lost at some point, but otherwise, the Belgian will the first choice for the manager.
Defence: Ivanovic; Cahill; Terry; Azpilicueta-
The 32-year-old Serbian international was castigated last season a lot due to his sluggish performances throughout the season, but now with Conte at the helm, he is expected to improve his defensive positioning. Ivanovic showed a fairly improved show against West ham United, but lost Collins which eventually ended up in a goal, besides that, he was an absolute threat down the right area.
On the opposite area, the manager will surely be using the Spanish international, Cesar Azpilicueta, who also had a decent night at the Stamford Bridge last time out.
As a centre-back pairing, the manager does not really have much of a choice, but his ever-present duo will surely do the trick for the Italian. Gary Cahill kept the striker like Andy Carroll in his pocket all the time, and was rightly praised for that, and on the other hand, John Terry gave a fantastic display as well.
Holding midfielder: N’Golo Kante-
Chelsea’s new signing N’Golo Kante was handed his debut at the Stamford Bridge last time out and the Frenchman did what was expected from him. He was booked inside the three minutes of the game, but that never really troubled him throughout the game. Was an absolute wall for the Blues in the fixture and that’s why the manager will surely use him against Watford.
Front Four: Willian; Oscar; Fabregas; Hazard-
The Brazilian winger, Willian, possessed tonnes of energy and never really looked tired. He even came close to score with a free-kick during the dying minutes of the first half. He was then replaced by Pedro soon after West Ham equalized, and is expected to start again at the Vicarage Road. With him playing on the right, the Belgian international Eden Hazard will take his usual position, i.e., on the left flank. The Belgian showed a great improvement compared to last season and unarguably was the man of the match.
This time around, the Italian manager might opt to drop Nemanja Matic, who just helped his side to in keeping the possession, and never really created the goal scoring opportunity. Fabregas has been recently linked with a move away from the Bridge and there is a good chance that they are just rumours.
As an attacking one, the manager might again go with Oscar, who had a decent night at the Stamford Bridge.
Striker: Diego Costa-
The Spanish international, who scored the winning goal of the last game, is again expected to get featured for the Blues. Many believe that he was fortunate enough to stay on the pitch after a late challenge on Hammers goalkeeper Adrian. Well, he does what he does.
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