LCB) Mamadou Sakho
Put in a strong performance against Villa to help us record our seventh clean sheet of the season, and will be hoping for more of the same against the Blues this week.
CB) Martin Skrtel
Has grown in confidence over the last couple of months, and now looks closer to the Martin Skrtel of last season. A big factor in that improvement has been the fact that he is now part of a settle back three, alongside Sakho and Can.
DM) Lucas Leiva
A certain starter, he will once again be protecting the back three in the face of Chelsea’s exceptional attacking options. The Brazilian has been vital in recent months, and needs to produce more of the same here.