Chelsea predicted line-up: Blues midfielder sidelined ahead of Leeds United trip

Chelsea are set for their third match of the season on Sunday afternoon as they travel to Elland Road to face Leeds United.

The Blues are unbeaten in their opening two fixtures, however they will be disappointed after conceding a controversial late equaliser to Tottenham last time out.

Leeds have also picked up a win and a draw so far but are certainly the underdog ahead of this weekend’s clash, while Chelsea are unlikely to change much following their plucky performance against Spurs.

Chelsea team news

Chelsea have been without Mateo Kovacic so far this seaso with the Croatian suffering from a knee injury.

It’s unknown when he will return to action but the midfielder will definitely be absent for their trip to Yorkshire this weekend.

The only fresh injury concern since the Tottenham match is N’Golo Kante, who was withdrawn in the latter stages due to a hamstring issue.

Thomas Tuchel has claimed the Frenchman “feels [the injury] pretty strong” and will miss out on their upcoming match.

Meanwhile, Marcos Alonso will once again be absent as he nears a move to Barcelona.

Predicted line-up

Chelsea looked brilliant against Tottenham for the most part and really deserved all three points, so it is unlikely Tuchel will want to tweak his starting XI too much.

The only obvious chance will be the departure of Kante due to injury, with Azpilicueta likely to take his place.

The Spaniard’s return to the defence means Reece James can be pushed back out wide to wing-back.

Prediction: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Koulibaly; James, Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Cucurella; Mount, Havertz, Sterling