1) The players come back from International duty
The International break has drawn to a close and the Premier League is back this weekend. Some of Maurizio Sarri’s players have been out on International break for their country which has been raised to be a clear concern for the Chelsea boss. Sarri claimed that he is not a fan of international football and some of his players have come back even more tired.
The Chelsea boss stated that Kante, Giroud and Hazard seem to be very tired due to playing three matches in seven days. The Chelsea boss had his team all back together on Thursday and it was clear to him that them players in particular were tired.
Therefore, this will be a stress for Sarri going into Sunday’s game against Cardiff as it is very important that the Blues come out of it with a win.
2) The Blues need to claim all three points
The pressure is on Chelsea massively at the moment and it is vital that they secure three points tomorrow afternoon. Before the International break the Blues suffered a massive knock as Everton beat them 2-0 at Goodison Park.
The Blues have had a huge mixture of results so far this season and the Everton away result was very hard hitting for the fans and the club. It put the club in a difficult situation due to the league rankings and the circumstance just before going into the International break.
Therefore, Chelsea need to hit the ground running tomorrow afternoon and up until the end of the season if they want to claim that top four finish.
3) A chance for Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to start
Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have a place in most Chelsea fans hearts. They’re both young and talented individuals that deserve a place in the starting 11. Every time they play, they always catch people’s attention.
They always put one hundred percent in and that’s always noticed. Both of them have the chance to start tomorrow and Chelsea fans would be surely delighted if they did.
4) Cardiff City have promising home form
The Bluebirds are currently sitting 18th in the table but despite their league ranking the side have a good home form therefore, the Blues need to be aware and up for this game. The Chelsea defence will have to be particularly aware tomorrow due to the threat that Cardiff can create in the box and from set pieces.
Chelsea’s defence has been criticised a lot recently therefore it is important that they are awake and concentrate every minute of the game because if they switch off, they will be punished for that. Cardiff are also a very physical side so the Blues need to treat this game very seriously and need to be reactive and quick with the ball.
5) The Blues will push for a top four finish
The worry for the Blues at the moment is if they will get a top four finish or not. This will be a massive priority for the team and the manager and the pressure is mounting as the season is not close off finishing. Chelsea are currently sitting sixth in the table so it will be very testing for the Blues to climb up the table however, anything is possible.
Sarri believes his side have what it takes to claim that top four finish and he believes it is important that the team take it ‘’match by match’’ in order to get there.