da esport bet： It has been another horror season for Chelsea fans this year, as despite a positive pre-season and impressive opening-day draw against Liverpool, Mauricio Pochettino's men have been consistently poor in the Premier League.
da bet nacional： With their league campaign already rendered a dead rubber and hope of a top-four finish seemingly out the window, the Blues have turned their attention to the domestic cups.
Chelsea could sign a big Jackson upgrade in "unplayable" £86m "game changer"
The 25-year-old would be an instant upgrade on the inexperienced striker.
ByJack Salveson Holmes
Pochettino's side pulled off an unlikely home win over Newcastle United last month to secure a League Cup semi-final against Middlesbrough for their fans, and this weekend, they'll have the chance to progress in the FA Cup.
Championship side Preston North End stand in their way, ready to cause an upset, although with how the rest of the season has gone, Pochettino will likely field a near-enough full-strength side, with at most three changes from the starting XI that ran out 3-2 winners over Luton Town last time out.
1 GK – Đorđe Petrović
Starting between the sticks will be Đorđe Petrović, one of the few Chelsea players who can hold his head high this season. However, that is mainly due to him only coming in following Robert Sanchez's injury against Everton last month.
That said, since he has pulled on the gloves, he has been relatively impressive for the Blues and was the hero in the Carabao Cup tie against Newcastle United, saving Matt Ritchie's penalty to send the Pensioners through.
2 RB – Malo Gusto
With Reece James still out injured, Malo Gusto keeps his place at right-back for the game.
The Frenchman has started almost half of the team's Premier League games this season, and while he has been far from great, he also hasn't been the main culprit for the side's failings either.
3 CB – Axel Disasi
Another French defender, Axel Disasi, is keeping his place as the right-sided centre-back.
The former AS Monaco man has endured a mixed first campaign in west London, with some impressive performances here and there but plenty of blunders along the way – having been described as a "disaster" talkSPORT's Andy Jacobs earlier in the campaign.
The 25-year-old has started 90% of Chelsea's league games this season, and while the FA Cup can be a good place to blood youth players, Disasi will likely keep his place to maintain some momentum from Kenilworth Road.
4 CB – Alfie Gilchrist
The first change from the weekend comes in the left centre-back position, as the elder statesman Thiago Silva makes way for one of the club's most promising youngsters, the "unbelievable" Alfie Gilchrist, as described by club legend John Terry.
As mentioned, the FA Cup can be a great way to give youth products valuable competitive minutes. This also means Pochettino can rest the experienced Brazilian.
Ultimately, this is a small gamble, but with the rest of the defence staying much the same, Gilchrist should be fine.
5 LB – Levi Colwill
Rounding off the defensive unit is another star who keeps his place from the win over Luton, Levi Colwill.
The natural centre-back will start in the absence of Ben Chilwell, plus he hasn't given the manager a reason to remove him from the position yet.
6 DM – Moises Caicedo
Moises Caicedo keeps his place at the base of midfield for this one, as despite making a shaky start to life as a Blue, he has since settled in and is starting to look better by the week.
Additionally, if things go as they should, a game against a Championship side should fill him with even more confidence – unless he gives away another penalty, that is.
7 DM – Conor Gallagher
Just like he did against the Hatters, fan favourite Conor Gallagher starts alongside Caicedo just ahead of the defence, although, while the stand-in captain can certainly chip in with the defensive side of the game, he is likely to have more of a free role against Preston.
His ability to dart from one area of the pitch to another should serve the Blues well against a side they have the quality to beat quite comfortably.
8 RM – Raheem Sterling
The second change to the XI comes out on the right, as Raheem Sterling takes back his starting spot from Noni Madueke.
Now, the 21-year-old did get himself on the scoresheet last time out, but with how Chelsea's season has panned out, the domestic cup competitions have now become the focus.
So, with that in mind, the manager will likely play his best-attacking players, one of whom is clearly Sterling.
The England international boasts a respectable haul of 11 goals and assists in all competitions this season and could do the business once again.
9 CAM – Cole Palmer
Now, when it comes to the unequivocal bright spots of Chelsea's season this year – and there aren't many – Cole Palmer is one of them.
The former City player joined the Blues in the summer and has since established himself as one of the best players at the club, if not the outright best – he was even dubbed "the leader of Chelsea" by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
With his tally of 16 goal involvements this season he has given the fans at Stamford Bridge something to scream and shout about, and after he scored a brace and provided an assist over the weekend, he simply has to start against Preston.
10 LM – Mykhaylo Mudryk
The third and final change to the starting XI comes on the left, and it probably isn't a change that Pochettino would have wanted to make after Nicolas Jackson provided an assist last time out, but the striker's departure for AFCON has forced his hand.
However, while Mykhaylo Mudryk has come in for a lot of criticism since his arrival in England – some of it fair – his performances have improved in recent months.
First, it was a goal against Fulham; then a questionable goal-come-cross against Arsenal and finally, the opening goal against Crystal Palace just after Christmas.
The Ukrainian still hasn't justified his £88.5m transfer fee, but if he keeps on delivering on the pitch, fans will quickly forget how much he cost, and against a Championship side, he will fancy his chances to add to his tally.