Mateo Kovacic is preferred to Jorginho. It is the Croatian’s first league start since the draw at West Brom in September. Mason Mount and N’Golo Kante support him in midfield.

Thiago Silva is captain in Cesar Azpilicueta and Jorginho’s absence.

Sheffield United make three changes to the side that lost at home to Man City a week ago. Oliver Norwood replaces the ineligible Ethan Ampadu, John Lundstram is in for Ben Osborn, and David McGoldrick is selected ahead of Oli McBurnie.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Mendy; James, Zouma, Thiago Silva (c), Chilwell; Kovacic, Kante, Mount; Ziyech, Abraham, Werner.

Subs: Caballero, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Emerson, Jorginho, Hudson-Odoi, Giroud.

Sheffield United (5-3-2): Ramsdale; Baldock, Basham, Egan (c), Stevens, Lowe; Berge, Norwood, Lundstram; McGoldrick, Brewster.

Subs: Verrips, Jagielka, Robinson, Osborn, Burke, Sharp, McBurnie.

Stats recap

Frank Lampard’s side have won seven and lost one (Liverpool) of our past nine Premier League games at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have scored with 18.8 per cent of our efforts on goal (16/85), the third highest success rate in the Premier League this season.

Frank Lampard’s side have kept five consecutive clean sheets for the first time since September/October 2010, when Petr Cech was in goal.

Edouard Mendy has kept six clean sheets in his seven appearances for the Blues and has only conceded one goal which was on his debut against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup.

Mendy is seeking to be the first Chelsea keeper to keep four clean sheets in their first four league games for the club. Mendy has joined Cech and Neil Sullivan as the only Chelsea players in our history who have kept three clean sheets in their first three league appearances.

Sheffield United stats

Since beating Chelsea 3-0 in July, the Blades have won one point in the Premier League from a possible 30.

One point from their first seven Premier League games in a season is their joint-worst start (with 1975/76) to a league campaign in their history.

Sheffield United’s most recent and only Premier League away win in 2020 came at Crystal Palace on 1 February.