Chelsea will be determined to turn their fortunes around in their first match of the New Year when they welcome Manchester City to Stamford Bridge for a fascinating showdown on Sunday.
The Blues can only boast one win from their last six matches in all competitions and were held to a 1-1 draw by Aston Villa in their final game of 2020, with Anwar El Ghazi cancelling out Olivier Giroud's opener in that one.
Frank Lampard's crop have dropped out of the top four amid their poor spell of form and now sit seven points behind early pacesetters Liverpool, but they could break back into the Champions League places with a win if other results go their way in gameweek 17.
Here, Sports Mole looks at how Chelsea could line up for the visit of eighth-placed Manchester City.
Out: Reece James (hamstring)
Doubtful: Hakim Ziyech (hamstring)
> Click here for Chelsea's latest injury and suspension news ahead of this match
Lampard confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Hakim Ziyech has an outside chance of being involved after returning to full training, but Reece James remains out with a hamstring problem.
With James still in the treatment room, the veteran Cesar Azpilicueta should start at right-back in what would be his 400th appearance for the club in all competitions.
Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen were handed rare starts against Villa but are expected to make way for the returning Thiago Silva and Kurt Zouma here, while Ben Chilwell's spot on the left-hand side is safe.
Midfield lynchpin Mateo Kovacic was rested last time out so will certainly return to the first XI here - likely in place of Jorginho - while N'Golo Kante and Mason Mount are shoo-ins for the visit of City.
Christian Pulisic completed the full 90 minutes against Villa despite previous concerns over his fitness, and Lampard may be tempted not to risk him from the first whistle in this one, but the winger has proven himself to be one of the Blues' most dangerous players and has to start this weekend if Ziyech does not make the cut.
Giroud netted his ninth goal of the campaign in all competitions on Monday evening, but the Frenchman will likely cede his place in the team to Tammy Abraham for this one.
Timo Werner and Kai Havertz have both struggled to adapt to the English game since arriving from the Bundesliga, and while the former is in contention to occupy a spot out wide, it would not be a surprise to see Havertz benched by Lampard once more.
Ben Knapton
