Chelsea take on Leeds United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday looking for their first Premier League goal since January as they hope to build some momentum before taking on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League
Chelsea are back into Premier League action on Saturday when they welcome Leeds United to Stamford Bridge. Graham Potter will be hoping that his side can taste victory for the first time since the visit of Crystal Palace in January, having scored just once in six fixtures since.
Chelsea cannot afford the same situation as against Southampton to occur again, with Javi Gracia's side in the midst of a relegation battle and under a new manager. Simply put, Chelsea need to find some momentum to turn around their form.
Potter has no shortage of players to attempt to do that. Here are the changes Chelsea's head coach could make for the clash against Leeds.
Wesley Fofana to replace Thiago Silva
The only question will be whether he is fit enough to play both against Leeds and Dortmund and that could give Chalobah the edge.
Benoit Badiashile to replace Kalidou Koulibaly
Benoit Badiashile has barely put a foot wrong since arriving at Chelsea in January. The young Frenchman was a surprise exclusion against Tottenham, thanks to the blossoming partnership he and Silva have started to produce, with Koulibaly starting ahead of him in the left centre-back role.
Badiashile has only looked uncertain in the opening half against Southampton when he was partnered with Koulibaly, and his progression in the second period of that game with the introduction of Fofana is certainly promising for another possible partnership. If the duo were to reignite their partnership again, it would allow the Blues to rely on the duos pace to play a high line in a bid to press Leeds hard further forward and to remain firmly on the front foot.
However, again Champions League plans may take priority. Badiashile is not in that squad and Potter may hope to give a duo time together ahead of a crucial game.
Denis Zakaria starts
While Zakaria had a brief outing with Fernandez against Spurs, it was his first game since returning from injury and he can only benefit from those minutes. The Swiss international is a different profile to his teammates and perhaps has the greatest engine to get up and down the pitch amidst a physical battle, carrying the ball and winning it back.
Those qualities will allow Fernandez to pick and choose his moments, while still being able to clear up play that Zakaria's hassling could cause. The midfielder may not be ready for 90 minutes but it would be positive to see him earn some extended time on the pitch.