Chelsea and Sheffield United have named their starting lineups.
Chelsea will host Sheffield United in the 17th round of the 2023/24 English Premier League (EPL) season at Stamford Bridge in London, England, on Sunday at 12:00 a.m. ET.
Ahead of the match, Chelsea revealed their starting lineup. The Blues are once again lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Jackson up front. The second line is Mourinho, Palmer, and Sterling. The third line is supported by Cazorla and Gallagher. The back line is Colwill, Silva, Badiashvili, and Dissassi, with Petrovic in goal.
Their opponents, Sheffield United, come with a 4-2-3-1 formation. McBurnie starts up front. The second line is Archer-Brooks-McAteer. The third line is supported by Vinny Soja-Hammer. Lowe-Trusty-Ahmedozic-Vogl in defense and Fotheringham in goal.
Chelsea are in a bad mood. With one win, one draw, and three losses in their last five games, they’ve dropped to 12th in the league, and their defense has been shredded, conceding 11 goals in those five games. They’re also without a fullback, with Leicester James, Cesc Fabregas, and Sanchez all injured.
With only a center back in the backline, you can’t expect much offense from either fullback. However, there was some good news. Chelsea’s new attacking spearhead, Christopher Nkunku, is finally back. After getting injured against Dortmund last preseason, Nkunku is finally ready to make his league debut.
It was also Petrovic’s first start of the season. Overshadowed by Robert Sanchez as the second choice goalkeeper, he made his debut against Everton after Sanchez was injured in the previous game and conceded a goal.
Sheffield United, on the other hand, have turned things around. With one win, two draws, and 11 losses, the mood was heavy after the sacking of Hackbottom, but Chris Wilder, who guided Sheffield to promotion and built a team that took the top flight by storm, is back in charge.
Wilder’s first game back in charge resulted in a 0-2 loss to Liverpool, but they picked up the momentum by beating Brentford 1-0 in the very next game. However, they are still in last place with eight points, so they need to win against Chelsea to move up to 18th place in the standings.