Predicted 4-2-3-1 Chelsea Line Up To Face Watford – Loftus-Cheek To Start

Watford host Chelsea at Vicarage Road on Wednesday night knowing that a victory could move them closer to a European spot and keep their opponents in the bottom half. The Hornets in their last top flight outing, recorded a 2-1 win against struggling Newcastle United in front of their own fans. Chelsea will arrive into this match in high spirits as they extended their unbeaten run to nine games. Guus Hiddink has not lost a game since taking over. They beat MK Dons 5-1 in the FA Cup on Sunday but a top four finish looks to be out of the question.

Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois

The Belgian shot stopper has looked shaky recently, having conceded 6 goals in his last 4 games, but expect the 6’6 goalkeeper to continue in goal against Watford. Although in most of the cases it was poor defending which was largely at fault as opposed to deficiencies on behalf of the goalkeeper. This is the Premier League and whenever Courtois is fit, he will start.

Defenders: Branislav Ivanović, Kurt Zouma, John Terry and Cesar Azpilicueta

The big news for Chelsea this week is that club legend John Terry will not be extending his contract after this season, however he still remains one of the best defenders in the team and will likely partner Zouma in the centre. The Serbian (Ivanovic) has been in acceptable form recently and after penning a new one year deal at the club, he will hope to show the fans what they’re getting. Azpilicueta has been one of our consistent players this season, and with Baba Rahman struggling to adapt to the league, the Spaniard is almost guaranteed a start every week.

Midfielders: Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Eden Hazard, Willian, Cesc Fàbregas and John Obi Mikel

Mikel has been great since the return of Hiddink, and with Matic being in woeful form this season, I can see John Obi starting against Watford. Fabregas seems to have a bit of form in recent weeks, with his combination with Costa looking to gain some momentum. With Ramires gone last week we expect Loftus-Cheek to start who has held his own this season producing consistently on the pitch.

Willian has been Chelsea’s biggest threat on the attack this season and if he is fit after recovering from a minor foot injury then there is no reason why he won’t start. Eden Hazard scored his first goal of the season, which would have lifted a lot of pressure from his shoulders, although it was from a penalty. Hiddink will be praying that his superstar manages to find some form quickly, which would go a long way in lifting Chelsea up the table.

Striker: Diego Costa

The energetic striker is on some good form of late, having scored 6 goals in his last 7 matches. With both Remy and Falcao suffering from injury and bad form, Costa has a clear run in the team and if he stays fit there is very little chance of someone else taking over his position up front.