Thomas Tuchel takes his Chelsea side across London to face Brentford in the Carabao Cup Quarter-Finals.
The Blues head to the Brentford Community Stadium with just one win in their past five games in all competitions, and their squad seriously hampered by injury problems and positive COVID cases.
Ben Chilwell's injury in the Champions League kickstarted this issue off, and since then Tuchel has rarely been able to field anything like his first choice starting XI.
Injury problems in the centre of midfield has been the major worry, with Jorginho carrying a knock but forced to play due to N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic being sidelined, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek was a necessity despite being on loan at Fulham last season.
With coronavirus cases rising once more in England, Chelsea recorded seven positive tests before their clash with Wolves, with the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Timo Werner among those in self-isolation.
However, their bid to the Premier League to have the game postponed was rejected, and they were only able to name four outfield substitutes, none of which were attackers, in the 0-0 draw at Molineux.
With Trevoh Chalobah and Hakim Ziyech also forced off with knocks, their squad is threadbare, which is why some of the club's academy stars have been pictured in first-team training.
But, how will they line up against Brentford?
Kepa Arrizabalaga will be given another chance in goal, with Edouard Mendy dropping out, while it'll be a new back three in front of him.
Cesar Azpilicueta will start on the right of a back three, while Antonio Rudiger will be forced to play in the middle, with Malang Sarr on the left. Thiago Silva will drop out, while Andreas Christensen and Chalobah are likely to not be available.
Reece James has played plenty of football this season, and Tuchel may look to rest him, but he may not get the chance. James will start, with Marcos Alonso on the other flank, but some academy players may be ready and waiting on the bench if called upon.
Jorginho is still recovering from a knock, so Tuchel will want to rest him for the Boxing Day fixture, meaning Saul Niguez will be entrusted. He will play alongside Kovacic, who returned to the Chelsea side off the bench against Wolves.
Further forward, it'll be an experimental front three. Ziyech shouldn't be risked, so Ross Barkley will start, while Mason Mount could also be rested in order to save him for the weekend.
That could open the door for Harvey Vale to start. He's impressed for the academy this year, and has been training with the first-team for a while; this could be his chance.
Kai Havertz has returned a negative COVID test, so he will most likely lead the line.
Chelsea Starting XI vs Brentford
