What is Chelsea's strongest XI for the 2021-22 season?

Having tasted Champions League glory last season, Chelsea will now have their sights set on returning to the summit of English football heading into a 2021-22 campaign which starts against Crystal Palace this weekend.

Here, Sports Mole looks at the strongest possible XI available to Thomas Tuchel, with the expected arrival of Romelu Lukaku still yet to be confirmed.

STRONGEST XI

SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Edouard Mendy, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marcus Bettinelli

Defenders: Cesar Azpilicueta, Reece James, Davide Zappacosta, Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma, Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Ethan Ampadu, Malang Sarr, Matt Miazga, Jake Clarke-Salter, Ben Chilwell, Marcos Alonso, Emerson, Abdul Rahman Baba

Midfielders: N'Golo Kante, Jorginho, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount, Ross Barkley, Lewis Baker, Danny Drinkwater

Forwards: Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Tammy Abraham, Michy Batshuayi, Kenedy, Charly Musonda Jr, Callum Hudson-Odoi

> Click here for full details of Chelsea's 2021-22 squad