Latest News: Ben Chilwell (heel), Hakim Ziyech (knee), Christian Pulisic (hamstring), Thiago Silva (match fitness) and Billy Gilmour (knee) will all miss the visit of Liverpool but Mateo Kovacic has returned from suspension and Timo Werner has recovered from the dead leg he picked up in the 3-1 win over Brighton. Frank Lampard has occasionally turned to a wing-back system against the so-called 'bigger' teams but has generally done so away from Stamford Bridge and indeed used a back four at home against the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and the two Manchester clubs last season. Cesar Azpilicueta may well return for this game whatever the system, either forming part of a back three or stepping in at full-back in place of the more attack-minded Reece James or Marcos Alonso. It would be a surprise to see Ruben Loftus-Cheek start again after a poor display at the Amex last Monday and his place could be absorbed by an extra centre-back if a 3-4-3 is used or by Kovacic or Ross Barkley if not, with the former's ability to help with transitions perhaps a valuable tool in a game that could be end-to-end. Barkley has previous with Liverpool, too, scoring and excelling against them in the FA Cup in the spring, and was an improvement on Loftus-Cheek when introduced for the final half an hour in Gameweek 1. A withdrawn right-wing role didn't bring the best out of Kai Havertz last Monday but with Ziyech and Pulisic out and Callum Hudson-Odoi not often trusted in games of this magnitude, the versatile German may again not get the chance to operate in the central role that seems to bring the best out of him. Olivier Giroud or Tammy Abraham could be brought in from the cold if Lampard opts to use Werner from the left rather than as a spearhead of the attack, while Antonio Rudiger is a pacier option at the back if his manager is concerned about Liverpool's rapid frontline.