Chelsea’s possible starting XI against West Ham – Torres to start?

A mixed start to Jose Mourinho’s homecoming continues as the Blues continue to drop points at crucial times. The November Blues continued for Mourinho as he almost lost his precious home record against a spirited West Brom side before a blatant dive from Ramires saved the day for Chelsea who grabbed a point.

With just 1 point from their last two league games, Mourinho will be looking to set things right on the travel, which has again been a problem for the Portuguese coach.

Chelsea travel to Upton Park this Saturday to face a West Ham side, who are having their own problems. Sam Allardyce’s side has seen his side without a win in their last four games as they lie at the wrong end of the table with just 10 points from the opening 11 games. The last time these two sides faced at Upton Park, Chelsea suffered a 3-1 defeat. The Blues are currently at 4th in the table, 4 points behind Arsenal and 2 behind Liverpool.

The 2-2 stalemate at Stamford Bridge has added a more serious dent than their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Newcastle. With such a dismal performance last time around, it is assured that Jose Mourinho will make several changes to his starting lineup.

As far as the team news is concerned, Guardian has reported that Ashley Cole will likely miss out on Chelsea’s trip to their London neighbours on Saturday evening after he aggravated a rib problem during England’s defeat to Germany.

Here is a look at the possible line-up Jose Mourinho might deploy against West Ham.

Defence:

Peter Cech will continue to guard the Blues goal, while the back four in front of him will certainly be changed. With Cole’s injury, expect Azpilicueta to take up the left back role while Branislav Ivanovic will continue playing down the right. At the center, Terry should start alongside Cahill.

Midfield:

With a plethora of options at disposal, Mourinho has to get it right to avoid the November blushes once again. We can expect to see a recall for John Obi Mikel in the heart of the Chelsea midfield, but it will be will be interesting to see what he does with Ramires and Lampard. While the former has been good about his duties so far, Lampard has had below par performances this season. On the wings, Hazard, Mata and Schurrle will once again battle it out, but I have a feeling that Mourinho might opt for the Belgian Hazard and the German Schurrle.

Forward:

Fernando Torres has recovered from his injury and is available for selection. Although, Eto’o did a decent job on his absence, expect the Spaniard to spearhead the Blues attack. The Club’s official website revealed on Thursday that Torres is back in training.