3-4-3: Right-sided defender
Chelsea are likely to stick with the 3-4-3 formation that helped them win the Premier League title last season and Rudiger has shown in pre-season he can play as one of the three centre-backs.
The 24-year-old could potentially come in on the right alongside David Luiz and Gary Cahill to form a solid trio.
That would mean Cesar Azpilicueta pushing further forward and knocking out the much improved Victor Moses from the starting XI.
Rudiger’s range of passing is set to be a dangerous weapon in the new campaign and his ability on the ball will be exploited in this formation.