Alfie Gilchrist will make his first start for Chelsea when they take on Preston North End in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.
Chelsea will aim to book a spot in the FA Cup fourth round when they welcome Preston North End to Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening. And Mauricio Pochettino has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Ben Chilwell, Benoit Badiashile, and Carney Chukwuemeka have resumed training. But while they are close to returning, the game against Preston North End has come too soon for the trio. Meanwhile, Nicolas Jackson is unavailable for the foreseeable future after joining Senegal for the Africa Cup of Nations.
In addition, Robert Sanchez (knee), Reece James (hamstring), Wesley Fofana (knee), Marc Cucurella (ankle), Trevoh Chalobah (thigh), Romeo Lavia (hamstring), and Lesley Ugochukwu (thigh) remain in the treatment room.
Pochettino provided a fitness update on Chilwell and Chukwuemeka during his pre-match press conference. The Chelsea boss ruled the duo out of Saturday’s FA Cup tie but confirmed that they are close to returning.
He said, “Chilly and Carney are not available for tomorrow. We’ll see for the next game, the semi-final in Middlesbrough, and then Fulham. They are doing well, training with the group in the last few days and we are so happy with their progress.”
“Romeo Lavia is recovering after his injury. We still don’t know when he’s going to be available again because of the problem in his quad during the game against Palace. Benoit I think is going to be available for next week.”
“It is a possibility for Armando to play. Christoph is not going to start because he suffered an issue during the week. He’s going to be in the squad but he’s not going to start. We need to be careful with him because he is starting to compete after six months out.”
With Nkunku not fit enough to start, Cole Palmer will reprise the no. 10 role, with Armando Broja leading the line for Chelsea against Preston North End. Mykhailo Mudryk and the in-form Noni Madueke should be the two wide attackers.
As for the midfield unit, Conor Gallagher and Enzo Fernandez will feature in the double pivot. The duo will protect the defenders. Speaking of the backline, Alfie Gilchrist will make his first start for Chelsea, pairing up with Axel Disasi at the heart of the defence. Finally, Levi Colwill and Malo Gusto should be the two full-backs, with Djordje Petrovic taking his spot between the sticks.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Gilchrist, Colwill; Fernandez, Gallagher; Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Broja
