How Chelsea could line up against Sheffield United

Chelsea will be looking to keep a sixth consecutive clean sheet and win a fourth successive match when they welcome Sheffield United to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

The Blues eased past Rennes in the Champions League on Wednesday night, making it 10 goals without reply in their last three games across all competitions.

An improved defensive record has led to suggestions that they could challenge for the title this season, and they will be firm favourites against a Sheffield United side with only one point to their name so far this term.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how Frank Lampard could set his side up for the contest.

Out: Kai Havertz (coronavirus), Billy Gilmour (knee)

Doubtful: Christian Pulisic (hamstring)

> Click here for Chelsea's latest injury and suspension news ahead of this match

Chelsea have been hit by the news that Kai Havertz has tested positive for coronavirus, ruling him out of this match having also been without him in midweek.

A fortuitously-timed international break means that the German playmaker should only miss those two matches, though, while Billy Gilmour and Christian Pulisic could also be ready to return when club football resumes.

Pulisic has not been entirely ruled out of this one after pulling out of the warm-up against Burnley last weekend with a hamstring problem, but Lampard is unlikely to take any risks given that the winger has only recently returned from a similar but more serious injury.

Timo Werner is expected to start again having very much found his feet at Chelsea now, directly contributing to four goals in his last three Premier League starts and also helping himself to a brace from the spot in midweek, displacing Jorginho as the Blues' penalty-taker.

Hakim Ziyech has also impressed since coming into the team, while fellow summer arrivals Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva have firmly established themselves in what now looks to be a settled defensive line.

The addition of Edouard Mendy has certainly helped with that; the keeper has conceded just one goal in his seven outings across all competitions since joining and could become only the fourth player - after the trivia-tastic trio of Alex Manninger, Pepe Reina and Anders Lindegaard - to keep clean sheets in each of his first four Premier League appearances.