The Belgium international, last season’s Player of the Year, is left on the bench for the visit of Aston Villa, while Gary Cahill and Nemanja Matic have also been dropped.
Jose Mourinho has left Eden Hazard out of his Chelsea starting XI to face Aston Villa, while several other key players have also been relegated to the substitutes bench for Saturday’s match at Stamford Bridge.
The Belgian, named the Premier League’s best player last season, has failed to reproduce the stellar performances he delivered last season and has been dropped as a result, with Mourinho opting to push Cesc Fabregas into a more advanced role.
Diego Costa is back after his suspension and leads the line, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek is preferred to Nemanja Matic in the heart of midfield where he is partnered by Ramires.
With Branislav Ivanovic injured, Mourinho appears to have opted to keep Cesar Azpilicueta at left-back, despite being right-footed, and fields left-footed summer signing Baba Rahman at right-back. Gary Cahill is left on the bench.
TEAM NEWS IN FULL:
Chelsea: Begovic; Baba, Terry, Zouma, Azpilicueta; Loftus-Cheek, Ramires; Willian, Fabregas, Pedro; Diego Costa. Subs: Blackman, Cahill, Matic, Mikel, Oscar, Hazard, Remy.
Aston Villa: Guzan; Hutton, Richards, Lescott, Richardson; Westwood, Gana; Gil, Grealish, Ayew; Gestede. Subs: Bunn, Bacuna, Sinclair, Traore, Amavi, Sanchez, Crespo.