Chelsea will travel to Germany for their final preseason game against Werder Bremen. The Blues will start their Premier League campaign against West Ham United, therefore Conte will be looking to finalise his team before the tough opener. He has overseen a pretty successful preseason with four wins including against Liverpool and AC Milan, and just two defeats against Real Madrid and Rapid Vienna. The fans will be hoping for a better season this time after the Blues recorded the worst title defence in the history of the Premier League last season.
The disastrous start last time around led to the sacking of Jose Mourinho, following which Guus Hiddink was brought in. The Dutchman did steady the ship but was replaced by the former Juventus manager in the summer. The game against Werder Bremen was organised fairly late, with the German side set to face off against Lazio, however, that game was cancelled after fears of crowd trouble between the two sets of fans. Here is the predicted starting XI that Antonio Conte might opt for.
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois
Courtois was pretty solid against AC Milan and is a sure shot start against Werder Bremen as well. After a brilliant first season with the blues, the Belgian international struggled a bit last season. His performance will very crucial to how Chelsea fare next season.
Defenders: Cesar Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, John Terry and Gary Cahill
With the Premier League so close, Conte might opt for an experienced back-four, which would mean Ivanovic comes in at right-back, pushing the impressive Aina to the bench. Azpilicueta will slot in at left-back, the Spanish international was by far the most solid Chelsea defender last season. John Terry will start in the centre of the defence line again alongside compatriot Gary Cahill. There were doubts regarding the future of Terry, however, Conte arrival led to him being offered a one-year contract extension.
Midfielders: Kante, Willian, Traore, Matic and Moses
Summer signing N’Golo Kante made his Chelsea debut in the match against AC Milan and will be looking to make a start in Germany. He will be crucial in screening the back four next season, expectations will be high from him after a stellar season with Leicester City. He will start in central midfield alongside Nemanja Matic. Last year’s player of the season Willian is likely to start on the right wing with Moses on the left wing. Youngster Traore has been very impressive this summer and should in that number 10 role.
Striker: Diego Costa
There have been strong rumours this summer linking Costa with a move back to Spain, however, with no other striker really available, it’s unlikely that he will be allowed to leave. He will start upfront with Batshuayi as a cover.