Cole Palmer and Conor Gallagher will return to the Chelsea starting lineup when they take on Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.
Chelsea will be eager to return to the top half of the Premier League table when they lock horns with Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday afternoon. And Mauricio Pochettino has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest game.
Thiago Silva (groin) and Marc Cucurella (ankle) are closing in on returning to action. But the game this weekend might have come too soon for either defender to feature from the get-go for the away side.
Meanwhile, Reece James (hamstring), Wesley Fofana (knee), Benoit Badiashile (groin), Lesley Ugochukwu (hamstring), Carney Chukwuemeka (ankle), Romeo Lavia (hamstring), and Christopher Nkunku (knock) remain in the treatment room. Pochettino discussed Silva, Cucurella, Nkunku, and Fofana during his pre-match press conference.
The Chelsea boss said, “We need to assess Thiago and Marc. We still need to decide, but maybe it is possible for both of them to be ready to be involved in the squad tomorrow. It is two bits of good news, if they will be available to be in the squad. Unfortunately I think it is difficult to see Wes playing this season, but you never know.”
“He [Nkunku] suffered a problem in his hamstring and now we will see if in a few weeks he can be available again, he has been doing recovery since Sunday. It is a little bit unlucky. To suffer again something bad from another injury is tough for a player who hasn’t played much during the season, that came from another country with some problems, because he was so good in pre-season and it is a difficult season for him, and difficult for him to accept another injury and have to wait to play more consistently.”
Silva will unlikely be fit enough to start for Chelsea, meaning Axel Disasi and Levi Colwill should form the central defensive pairing. Ben Chilwell should return as the left-back, with Malo Gusto taking his spot on the right flank. Djordje Petrovic will feature between the sticks instead of Robert Sanchez.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez in the double pivot. Conor Gallagher should return to the starting lineup to reprise the no. 10 role, while Cole Palmer will feature on the right flank. Finally, Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson should complete the numbers in the attack.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Colwill, Chilwell; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Gallagher, Sterling; Jackson
