Chelsea turned in a professional display in Madrid on Tuesday night to earn a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid.
With the second leg to come on Wednesday, attention for the time being turns to the derby clash with Fulham on Saturday evening as Thomas Tuchel's side hope to take another step towards securing their place in the top four.
While finishing in the top four is a must for the Blues they will certainly have one eye on their midweek encounter - taking all of that into account, here's the Chelsea side that should start against Fulham.
1. Goalkeeper and defenders
Edouard Mendy (GK) - Kepa Arrizabalaga has been afforded opportunities in the FA Cup but Mendy is the club's number one and should start in the Premier League.
Kurt Zouma (CB) - The 26-year-old was an unused substitute versus Real Madrid and so his inclusion as part of a wider rotation of the team would make perfect sense.
Antonio Rudiger (CB) - A regular under Thomas Tuchel, Rudiger has played a key role in the team's dramatic defensive improvement. Thiago Silva could do with a rest ahead of Wednesday's showdown with Los Blancos.
Andreas Christensen (CB) - Often referred to as the club's best defender over the past few months. He starts when fit.
2. Midfielders
Reece James (RM) - May have felt unlucky to have been left out of the starting XI in the Champions League. He'll be fresher than Cesar Azpilicueta and should get the nod.
Jorginho (CM) - Mateo Kovacic remains a fitness doubt but the Croatian aside, Jorginho has played his best football in a Chelsea shirt in recent weeks and deserves his place.
N'Golo Kante (CM) - Having recently returned from injury, in an ideal world Tuchel would probably prefer to rest Kante, but with Kovacic likely out he'll probably have to start.
Marcos Alonso (LM) - Ben Chilwell has been in inspired form but given Chelsea have a chance of progressing to the Champions League final on Wednesday, it makes sense to rotate in this position.
3. Forward
Hakim Ziyech (RW) - Is unlikely to be in Tuchel's starting XI for Real Madrid. This feels like the perfect opportunity to give Ziyech minutes in the Premier League.
Kai Havertz (ST) - We've started to see glimpses of Havertz's potential in recent weeks and, having only come off of the bench at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano, he'll be chomping at the bit to start.
Mason Mount (LW) - Arguably Chelsea's most important player at the moment. He's enjoyed a fantastic season and should be one of the first names on the teamsheet.
Source: 90min
