Potter rang in the changes with Manchester United looming on Saturday (Picture: Getty)
Graham Potter is confident he has picked a Chelsea team that will be ‘competitive’ after making five changes for the Premier League clash with Brentford.
After a 2-0 win victory over Aston Villa on Sunday, Potter made wholesale changes to his side for the short trip up to Brentford on Wednesday night.
Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell, Mateo Kovacic, Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all dropped out of the starting XI with Kalidou Koulibaly, Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Conor Gallagher and Armando Broja all coming in.
Potter has not shied away from making changes since arriving at Stamford Bridge, making seven for the game against Wolves earlier this month. The move paid off with Chelsea easing to a 3-0 win.
With a test against Manchester United looming on Saturday, Potter believes the side he has picked to take on the Bees is strong enough to get the job done.
‘it is about picking the team that we think can be competitive in the game tonight,’ Potter told Amazon Prime.
‘I can’t think of anything else other than that. The schedule we have we cannot escape from. But we have a huge respect for Thomas [Frank], for Brentford for the record they have here so we have to pick a team that we think is going to be competitive and try to win.’
Broja leads the line against Brentford (Picture: Getty)
Denis Zakaria is among the Chelsea substitutes with the midfielder still waiting for his first Chelsea appearance.
The Switzerland international was signed on transfer deadline day from Juventus by Thomas Tuchel but his lack of game time has sparked speculation his loan stay could be terminated in January.
Potter however has insisted Zakaria remains an ‘important member’ of his squad and says the 25-year-old is ‘ready to help the team’ in the coming weeks.
Asked if there had been any talks about letting Zakaria leave in January, Potter said on Tuesday: ‘There has been no decision made at all on that. Denis has been in the group and he’s been training well.
‘He’s ready to help the team but obviously there’s competition for places in that area. There’s no talks [about leaving].
‘He’s an important member of the team. He’s being patient and trying to help the team from the side at the moment. He’s waiting for a chance.’
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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is among those to drop out.