Bruno Saltor makes two changes for first game in charge as Chelsea take on Liverpool following Graham Potter’s departure on Sunday as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continues to be frozen out

  • Chelsea take on Liverpool in their first game since Graham Potter was sacked
  • Trevoh Chalobah had appeared to be convinced ahead of Aston Villa he was in
  • Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang remains frozen out despite Potter’s departure 

By Julian Bovill For Mailonline

Bruno Saltor has made X changes for his first Chelsea game in charge as the post-Graham Potter era begins in earnest against Liverpool on Tuesday night. 

It was announced at the same time as Potter’s sacking that Saltor would be taking over first-team duties on an interim basis as the club carried out a thorough search for its next manager, the third in less than a year of the new ownership’s reign. 

N’Golo Kante makes his first start since August having been out for much of the season with a hamstring injury, while Wesley Fofana comes in for Ruben Loftus-Cheek as Reece James goes to right-wing back.

Mykhailo Mudryk drops to the bench for Kante, having disappointed so far following his big-money move from Shakhtar Donetsk in January. The Frenchman captains the side. 

Potter’s reign had been marred, in the end, by supporter discontent and a seeming inability to settle on a preferred XI. 

Trevoh Chalobah’s non-selection on Saturday somewhat typified the failings on a tactical front, with the defender left bemused to not be selected for the clash against Aston Villa. 

He had been run through his tactical instruction as well as his duties on set plays, only to see James start in front of him at right centre-back. 

Mason Mount, who continues to stall over a new deal with a summer departure looking ever-more likely, once again takes up a position on the bench. He has not started a Premier League game for the Blues since a victory over Southampton in February. 

Meanwhile, Virgil van Dijk misses out for Liverpool through illness. The Dutch defender came in for widespread criticism following Liverpool’s 4-1 defeat at Manchester City on Saturday. 

Chelsea XI: Kepa; Fofana, Koulibaly, Cucurella; James, Kovacic, Kante, Fernandez, Chilwell; Felix, Havertz

Liverpool XI: Alisson; Gomez, Matip, Konate, Tsimikas; Fabinho, Henderson, Jones; Jota, Nunez, Firmino

More follows.  

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