Chelsea travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening, and Maurizio Sarri must deploy a strong team as he seeks his first piece of silverware at the club.
The Blues dropped their first points of the Premier League season at the weekend as West Ham held them to a 0-0 draw at the London Stadium, with the Reds now the only side in the division with a 100% record after six games.
Both clubs are expected to rest some key players for their Carabao Cup clash as they prepare to meet again in the Premier League on Saturday, but Sarri must resist the temptation to rest all his key stars in this one.
In goal, Kepa Arrizabalaga must retain his place to give him as many minutes as possible as he begins his career in England.
In defence, Davide Zappacosta must replace Cesar Azpilicueta at right-back, with Marcos Alonso retaining his left-back spot. At centre-back Gary Cahill must be handed a rare start alongside Andreas Christensen, with David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger axed.
A midfield trio of N’Golo Kante, Cesc Fabregas and Ruben Loftus-Cheek should start, meaning £150,000-a-week star Jorginho [Total Sportek] and Mateo Kovacic are axed from the side.
And in attack, Ross Barkley must replace Willian, while Olivier Giroud and Eden Hazard both keep their places.
All in all this means six changes for Sarri, who would retain some of his key players against a Liverpool side expected to make sweeping changes for this one.
