The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Sarri looking for reaction from his humiliated Chelsea players
Chelsea and Arsenal are also in Europa League action today.
Chelsea are in Sweden to take on Malmo in their last-32 first-leg tie, while Arsenal face BATE Borisov in Belarus.
Marcos Alonso and Ruben LoftusCheek will be absent when Chelsea seek to respond from the 6-0 humiliation at Manchester City.
A 50-minute dressing room inquest followed the 4-0 loss at Bournemouth on January 30, with an hour-long conversation held on Monday at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground after the astonishing mauling at the Etihad.
Left-back Alonso, who has been manager Maurizio Sarri’s first choice, has been omitted – the Italian boss says he has been rested – with Emerson Palmieri likely to start.
Midfielder Loftus-Cheek has suffered a recurrence of his persistent back problem but could be fit to face Manchester United in Monday’s FA Cup fifth-round clash.
Sarri said: “It’s not easy to play tomorrow after a 6-0, but we have to play and we have to play well. We want to win and react immediately.”
Arsenal will be without midfielders Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey for their game in Belarus.
Neither player travelled, with Ozil still feeling the effects of illness and Ramsey missing training during the week with a knee complaint.
Granit Xhaka (groin) and PierreEmerick Aubameyang (illness) are back but Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Danny Welbeck, Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding remain sidelined.