Levi Colwill will return to the Chelsea starting lineup against Newcastle United at St. James’ Park on Saturday afternoon.
Chelsea will look to continue the recent momentum against tough opposition when they lock horns with Newcastle United at St. James’ Park on Saturday afternoon. And Mauricio Pochettino has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Levi Colwill is fit and available after missing the game against Manchester City due to a back issue. The youngster had to withdraw from England’s squad during the international break, as did Reece James. But Pochettino confirmed in his pre-match press conference that the duo will be in the matchday squad on Saturday.
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He said, “Colwill is going to be in the squad. We’ll see tomorrow how much James can play. Reece is doing well, he’s at a very good level, he’s improving every day. We are so happy with him and hope that he can cope with the demand of 90 minutes and we’ll see tomorrow if he can cope with that. Now he is one player you know is going to play!”
Meanwhile, Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, and Wesley Fofana have stepped up their efforts to return to action. But the game against Newcastle United has come too soon for the trio. Pochettino discussed Nkunku and Lavia during his presser.
He said, “Lavia and Nkunku are still out. There is no timeframe for them, it is difficult to say because we need to assess them day-by-day. They are in a good condition, Nkunku a little bit ahead of Lavia. He was doing things with the group last week but it is still not a full recovery to be part of the squad.”
Ben Chilwell, Trevoh Chalobah, and Carney Chukwuemeka also remain unavailable. But Malo Gusto should be in the matchday squad, although he will find himself on the bench, with James starting as the right-back. Colwill should feature on the opposite flank, with Thiago Silva and Axel Disasi being the two centre-backs.
The defensive quartet will protect Robert Sanchez between the sticks. As for the midfield unit, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, and Conor Gallagher are automatic picks. Finally, Nicolas Jackson will continue to spearhead the Chelsea attack, with Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer being the two wide attackers.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Sanchez; James, Disasi, Silva, Colwill; Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Gallagher; Palmer, Jackson, Sterling
