Chelsea v Burnley line-ups: youngster makes Blues debut, Morata and Newcastle target Kenedy on bench
Chelsea have handed debuts to Antonio Rudiger and 20-year-old winger Jeremie Boga as their Premier League title defence begins at home to Burnley.
Boga, an unused substitute in the Community Shield against Arsenal last Sunday, is promoted with Pedro sidelined by an ankle injury and new signing Alvaro Morata not fully fit enough to start.
Michy Batshuayi, whose goal at West Brom in May clinched the title for the Blues, leads the line instead.
Rudiger plays in the three-man defence alongside David Luiz and newly appointed full-time captain Gary Cahill, for Chelsea’s first match in the post-John Terry era.
Cesar Azpilicueta switches to right wing-back, with Victor Moses suspended following his red card in last season’s FA Cup final.
Goalkeeper Willy Caballero, signed from Manchester City, is on the bench alongside five of the club’s youngsters – 21-year-olds Kenedy and Andreas Christensen, 20-year-old Charly Musonda and 19-year-olds Fikayo Tomori and Kyle Scott.
Summer arrival Tiemoue Bakayoko is recovering from knee surgery while the out-of-favour Diego Costa is not named in the squad.
Former Chelsea reserve team skipper Jack Cork makes his debut for Burnley, while ex-Brentford defender James Tarkowski also starts.
Chelsea: Courtois; Rudiger, Luiz, Cahill; Azpilicueta, Kante, Fabregas, Alonso; Willian, Batshuayi, Boga.
Subs: Caballero, Christensen, Tomori, Scott, Musonda, Kenedy, Morata.
Burnley: Heaton; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Ward; Gudmundsson, Cork, Hendrick, Defour, Brady; Vokes.
Subs: Pope, Taylor, Westwood, Long, Arfield, Walters, Barnes.
Isuwa
12/08/2017 @ 2:27 pm
I hope this Batshuayi of a boy doesn’t run round the field ‘planlessly’ like he did vs Arsenal during the EPL curtain-raiser.