Chelsea FC manager Enzo Maresca did a fair amount of squad rotation in yesterday’s thrashing of Ajax in the UEFA Champions League. And obviously, given that it was a thrashing, it worked out just fine. Typically, managers don’t do really do a lot of squad rotation in the UCL, but it makes sense here, given how big and deep this Chelsea squad is.
So we took a look at that lineup from Wednesday night, in constructing our predicted first team for the home clash against Sunderland.
Chelsea FC vs Sunderland
Kickoff: Sat. Oct. 25, 3pm Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Google’s Result Probability: Chelsea FC win 68% Draw 19% Sunderland win 13%
Premier League Position: Chelsea FC 5th 14 points Sunderland 7th 14 points
Blues Team News
No real changes here to the injury and fitness situations. They are pretty much the same as in midweek, but Maresca gave an update on striker Liam Delap on Tuesday. The summer signing is recovering from his thigh problem, and he could return to training soon.
“Liam is very close,” Maresca said. “He is not working with us yet – he is still out – but hopefully, he can start in the next days to take part in the sessions with us.”
Elsewhere Malo Gusto is suspended for this due to his two yellow card sending off the last time out. Levi Colwill is out for the year while Cole Palmer and Benoit Badiashile are looking at December return dates from injury.
Chelsea FC Predicted Starting XI vs Sunderland
Robert Sanchez; Moises Caicedo, Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Cucurella; Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia; Estevao Willian, Marc Guiu, Neto; Joao Pedro
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter