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Chelsea have Wesley Fofana starting for his debut in today’s London derby meeting with West Ham.
The Blues boss may have been tempted to wait until a clash against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Tuesday, but he has opted to give the £69.5m an immediate start.
Chelsea have have mixed fortunes on the injury front. N’Golo Kante remains sidelined with a long-term hamstring issue and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is also missing due to a broken jaw sustained during a terrifying armed robbery at his family home before his deadline-day transfer from Barcelona.
Denis Zakaria, Chelsea’s new loan signing from Juventus, has not received his work permit yet having completed his own move to west London late on Thursday.
There is good news, however, with Reece James, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Trevoh Chalobah all overcoming injury and illness to make themselves available this afternoon. James and Loftus-Cheek both start, with Chalobah on the bench.
Christian Pulisic starts alongside Raheem Sterling, with Mason Mount and Kai Havertz on the bench.
Chelsea will want to improve now the transfer window is shut having dropped points in three of their first five games of the season.
Chelsea XI: Mendy, Fofana, Thiago Silva, Koulibaly, James, Loftus-Cheek, Gallagher, Kovacic, Cucurella, Sterling, Pulisic
Subs: Kepa, Azpilicueta, Chilwell, Chalobah, Jorginho, Mount, Ziyech, Broja, Havertz
