Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas is reportedly set to start against Arsenal on Saturday evening, with Antonio Conte looking to attack the Gunners.
The Spaniard has yet to start a Premier League game under Conte this season, with the Italian tactician preferring a midfield pairing of Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante.
However, according to The Telegraph, he could be set to return from the start against his former club, as he looks to build on his impressive performance against Leicester City in midweek in the EFL Cup.
Fabregas can expect a hostile reception from the majority of the Emirates faithful having returned to England to join one of their bitter rivals, but he will have a crucial role to play in silencing them this weekend.
It’s claimed that Conte wants his side to play on the front foot and take the game to Arsenal, which will see Fabregas deployed just in front of Matic and Kante, with Oscar likely to be the player to drop out.
Arsene Wenger has already pinpointed the link-up play between Fabregas and Diego Costa as something to look out for in his pre-match press conference, and it appears as though it’s something that his side will have to find a way of combatting sooner than many would have anticipated.
It remains to be seen whether or not the report turns out to be true and if Fabregas is restored to the line-up, but the pressure will certainly be on his shoulders to produce after all the talk about his future and tension with Conte in the media over the past month or so.