The tragic death of Chelsea winger Willian’s mother is being mourned around Cobham today, but beyond its effects on the Brazilian, there are also its effects on team selection for Antonio Conte to worry about.
ESPN are reporting that Willian will be unable to play in Saturday’s early kickoff against Leicester City, as the Brazilian has returned to his home country for his mother’s funeral.
Victor Moses played as a wing-back for Chelsea in their last game, but he has been ruled out with an injury. With Diego Costa guaranteed his place up front and Eden Hazard virtually certain on the left, this leaves Conte with few options for replacing Willian.
The boring option would be to play Pedro, who has been consistently poor at Chelsea. There’s also the possibility that the Blues could switch to a 3-5-2 with Michy Batshuayi partnering Costa up front. This might spell the worrying return of Branislav Ivanovic to the side, albeit as a wingback.