Having recently waved goodbye to club legend and former manager Frank Lampard, Chelsea must dust themselves down for Wednesday's visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League.
The Englishman departs Stamford Bridge having overseen five defeats from his last eight Premier League matches, although he did witness his side triumph 3-1 over Luton Town in the FA Cup before Roman Abramovich took the decision to sack him.
Thomas Tuchel will reportedly become the next man looking to hack it in one of the most unforgiving jobs in football, but it is currently unclear as to who will be taking charge of Chelsea's midweek battle with a Wolves team who have also endured a poor run of recent results.
With that in mind, Sports Mole looks at how the Blues could line up on Wednesday.
Out: N'Golo Kante (hamstring)
> Click here for Chelsea's latest injury and suspension news ahead of this match
It would take a brave soul to confidently predict Chelsea's first team selection of the post-Lampard era, but whoever is barking orders from the touchline will have to make do without N'Golo Kante as he nurses a hamstring problem.
The Frenchman is the Blues' only absentee at the moment, though, with their new manager having the luxury of a near fully-fit squad for the visit of Wolves, and changes from the FA Cup will start with Edouard Mendy replacing the less-than-convincing Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal.
Antonio Rudiger had displaced Kurt Zouma at centre-back in Lampard's final few weeks, but the Frenchman could get the nod this time around, with Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell also set to return to the rearguard.
Lampard's unwavering faith in Mason Mount - who captained the Blues in their win over Luton - paid dividends over the first half of the season, and the 22-year-old may line up alongside Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz in a midfield three once more.
Tuchel will certainly hope to get the best out of his compatriots Havertz and Timo Werner if he indeed accepts the Chelsea job, but the latter is expected to be benched once more after Tammy Abraham's hat-trick in the cup made him undroppable.
Lampard stressed that Christian Pulisic was fine after he walked off gingerly at the weekend, but Callum Hudson-Odoi is primed for action if the former Borussia Dortmund man - who looks set to reunite with Tuchel - is not risked.
Hudson-Odoi's impact from the bench on Saturday garnered significant praise from Chelsea fans as he set up Abraham's third goal, and Hakim Ziyech should complete the Chelsea lineup on the right-hand side of the attack.
Video prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
Ben Knapton
