Chelsea predicted lineup vs Tottenham - Premier League | OneFootball

The Argentine is yet to convince a sceptical Chelsea fanbase that he's the man to lead the club through its "painful" rebuild - the phrase Pochettino coined to describe Tottenham's situation in 2019.

However, the Blues do head into Thursday's London derby with a glimmer of optimism having fought back from 2-0 down to earn a point at Aston Villa on Saturday. They may be winless in their previous three across all competitions, but a bright end to the season and Chelsea could be competing in Europe next term.

Defeat to Spurs, a side whom Chelsea seemingly boast a perpetual hold over, would be hugely damaging for Pochettino. It's a big game for the Blues boss, and here's the team he could put out for it.

Chelsea predicted lineup vs Tottenham (4-2-3-1)

Conor Gallagher delivered for Chelsea at Villa Park / Visionhaus/GettyImages

GK: Djordje Petrovic - Robert Sanchez could recover from injury in time for Thursday, but Petrovic, who's struggled to convince in recent weeks, is likely to keep his place.

RB: Trevoh Chalobah - Malo Gusto's likely absence means Chalobah, who's impressed since coming back into the side, will continue at right-back.

CB: Axel Disasi - Chalobah is undoubtedly better suited to the right-back role than the slow-turning Disasi, with the French defender poised to come back into the starting XI in place of the injured Thiago Silva. Disasi thought he'd scored a dramatic late winner at Villa only for VAR to intervene.

CB: Benoit Badiashile - Chelsea's defensive absence means Pochettino will stick with Badiashile despite his sub-par form.

LB: Marc Cucurella - The Spaniard was full of praise for his manager ahead of Thursday's game. Cucurella has enjoyed a prolonged run in the team, and Ben Chilwell's injury woes mean he'll keep his place at left-back.

CM: Moises Caicedo - The Ecuadorian can play, no doubt. His debut season has been a mixed bag, but Caicedo is showing signs of finishing his debut campaign with a purpose.

CM: Conor Gallagher - Enzo Fernandez's season-ending surgery will force Gallagher into the midfield pivot. The skipper came up with the goods at Villa Park, scoring a superb equaliser.