Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Ben Chilwell will be in the matchday squad when Chelsea and Leicester City clash on Sunday.
Chelsea will aim to reach the FA Cup semi-finals when they welcome Leicester City to Stamford Bridge in the quarter-final tie on Sunday afternoon. And Mauricio Pochettino has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Enzo Fernandez will play no part against Leicester City due to a suspension after picking up bookings against Aston Villa and Leeds United. But there is some good news, as Ben Chilwell is fit and available after recovering from a knee injury.
In addition, Benoit Badiashile and Levi Colwill are closing in on returning to action. But Sunday’s game might have come too soon for the duo to feature from the get-go. Meanwhile, Reece James, Romeo Lavia, Lesley Ugochukwu, and Christopher Nkunku remain on the sidelines due to their hamstring injuries, while Wesley Fofana is a long-term absentee due to a knee issue.
Pochettino discussed Chilwell and Fernandez’s issues during his pre-match press conference. On Chilwell, the Chelsea boss said, “Gareth told you he is fit [by selecting him for England]. He is in training and I think everything is going well. He will be in the squad for Sunday, yes.”
“When a player comes back from injury, starts to feel fit, and then has a call-up for the national team, they are always so excited. So, he is excited like the rest of the players [selected for England].” On Fernandez, he said, “You always want to have your best players available but we have players to replace him and perform in the best way.”
With Fernandez unavailable, Conor Gallagher will drop into the double pivot, pairing up with Moises Caicedo in the middle of the park. So, Cole Palmer will take up Gallagher’s spot, reprising the no. 10 role. The offensive unit will thus see one change, with Mykhailo Mudryk joining Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson in the final third.
Chilwell’s return to fitness means he will be a part of the starting lineup, replacing Marc Cucurella in the left-back berth. The former Leicester City defender will join Axel Disasi, Trevoh Chalobah, and Malo Gusto in the Chelsea backline. Finally, Robert Sanchez should get the nod over Djordje Petrovic between the sticks.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Disasi, Chalobah, Chilwell; Caicedo, Gallagher; Sterling, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson
