Chelsea faces off against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Sunday lunchtime.
Since Chelsea’s hard-fought 2-0 victory over Heidenheim, there have not been any new injuries to any of the squad, with Maresca hoping that Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto will feature after their absence due to injuries and illness.
Jacob Ramsey continues his absence from the Villa team with a hamstring injury. Emery did not completely rule out Amadou Onana from the clash but will have a late fitness test to determine whether he is fit enough to feature.
Reece James’ hamstring injury has confirmed that he will be unavailable until the end of December. This is another disappointing injury in the same area that has already taken away a lot of his early career. Chelsea is determined to find the root of the issue and bring the captain back to full fitness.
Despite Filip Jorgensen’s incredible performance against Heidenheim, Maresca will likely deploy Robert Sanchez in goal on Sunday even with the Spaniard’s recent shaky performances.
The rest of the lineup should look similar to the outfit used against the Foxes last Saturday, with the only rotations depending on the fitness of Gusto and Neto. Benoit Badiashile played two full 90s over the week and should be given a rest, reintroducing this season’s traditional centre-back partnership of Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana. The Englishman did leave the pitch last Saturday with some discomfort; however, he has been seen in training all week.
Marc Cucurella will continue his return to the Premier League side after Maresca briefly attempted the fullback partnership of James and Gusto. The Spanish defender has frequently impressed this season and has earned his place as a key figure in the side.
Maresca may use Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo together in the midfield to attempt to deal with the physicality of this Villa side. It may seem harsh to drop Enzo Fernandez after his stellar performance last weekend, but I believe that Lavia and Caicedo’s pairing will be more suitable for this game’s intensity.
Unsurprisingly, Cole Palmer will start against Aston Villa however the personal of his supporting attackers will be less obvious. Neto and Jadon Sancho’s return to fitness will pose an air of uncertainty over Joao Felix and Noni Madueke, who both started last weekend.
Felix’s half-hour cameo on Thursday would suggest that Maresca is more likely to drop the Portugese forward despite praising his performance on Friday. Madueke should retain his place in the starting lineup with Neto partnering him on the opposite flank for his first appearance since his goal against Arsenal.
Nicolas Jackson will lead the line for the Blues on Sunday. Christopher Nkunku cannot stop scoring and is currently the top goal-scorer at the club, however, Jackson’s recent performances and clinical finishing in the League has given him an edge over the Frenchman.
Chelsea Preditced XI: R. Sanchez, M. Gusto, W. Fofana, M. Cucurella, R. Lavia, M. Caicedo, N. Madueke, C. Palmer, P. Neto, N. Jackson
Aston Villa Predicted XI: E. Martinez, M. Cash, D. Carlos, P. Torres, L. Digne, Y. Tielemans, B. Kamara, J. McGinn, L. Bailey, J. Duran, O. Watkins
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