Jadon Sancho will return to the Chelsea starting lineup against Newcastle United in the EFL Cup round of 16 at St. James’ Park on Wednesday.
Chelsea will aim to reach the EFL Cup quarter-finals when they lock horns with Newcastle United at St. James’ Park on Wednesday night. And Enzo Maresca does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Omari Kellyman is the only player on the sidelines for the away side, with the youngster still recovering from a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Maresca discussed Jadon Sancho’s absence from the starting lineups in the last two games.
The Chelsea manager said, “Jadon has done well since he arrived with us. For sure, players can’t maintain the same level the whole season because the amount of games is huge. So, the last two games he didn’t play, not for any different reason, just for a technical decision, a tactical decision. No more than that.”
“For sure, because of the amount of games, he’s going to play many games. The only thing he has to do is continue to work hard and when we give him a chance, to just take it.”
Meanwhile, Maresca also provided a team news update during his presser. The Chelsea boss said, “There are no injuries, so everything is fine. It will be a tough game and of course we have concerns about the opposition like we do for each fixture, but we played two days ago so we know what they are like. We will see how today’s training session goes and then we will make a decision on who plays.”
While Maresca has a full-strength squad for Wednesday’s game, he will likely rotate his troops against Newcastle United. Filip Jorgensen will take his spot between the sticks, with Axel Disasi, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, and Marc Cucurella forming the backline.
As for the midfield unit, Enzo Fernandez will likely don the armband, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall lining up alongside him in the double pivot. Joao Felix will reprise the no. 10 role, with Jadon Sancho and Mykhaily Mudryk being the two wide attackers. Finally, Christopher Nkunku will lead the line for the away side against Newcastle United.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Jorgensen; Disasi, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Cucurella; Fernandez, Dewsbury-Hall; Sancho, Felix, Mudryk; Nkunku
