Trevoh Chalobah and Robert Sanchez are unavailable after picking up knock ahead of the game between Chelsea and Burnley on Saturday.
Chelsea will aim to build on the recent unbeaten run when they welcome Burnley to Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon. And Mauricio Pochettino has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Pochettino has been sweating over the fitness of Ben Chilwell, Enzo Fernandez, and Cole Palmer. But the trio should be available to take on Burnley on Saturday. Meanwhile, Malo Gusto has recovered from an illness and will be in action this weekend.
However, Robert Sanchez, Trevoh Chalobah, and Carney Chukwuemeka have picked up knocks and will be unavailable. The trio has joined Reece James, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Lesley Ugochukwu, and Christopher Nkunku on the sidelines.
Pochettino spoke about Sanchez, Chalobah, and Chukwuemeka during his pre-match press conference. He also discussed the potential availability of Enzo Fernandez after his late return from international duty with Argentina.
The Chelsea boss said, “He suffered a problem when he landed in an action against Leicester. We will see when he can be available but I don’t think he will be for the weekend. Trevoh is doing well in the last few days. We will assess him again and see if he can be available. The percentage of Trevoh being available is high because it is not a big issue.”
“Carney was good after the game against Leicester but suffered a small injury while away with the national team. It wasn’t while he was with us. We will have to see how he [Enzo Fernandez] is He played two games so we need to see his energy and understand if he is ready to play or not.”
Enzo Fernandez should return to the Chelsea midfield despite Pochettino’s comment, joining Moises Caicedo in the double pivot. So, Conor Gallagher will reprise his usual no. 10 role after playing a deeper role against Leicester City.
Gallagher’s return to the no. 10 berth means Mykhailo Mudryk will drop to the bench, with Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling being the two wide attackers. Meanwhile, Nicolas Jackson will lead the line for the home side against Burnley.
As for the defensive unit, it should see two changes, with Thiago Silva replacing the injured Chalobah. The Brazilian will pair up with Axel Disasi in the central defensive partnership. Ben Chilwell should return at left-back, with Gusto starting on the opposite flank. Finally, Djordje Petrovic should replace Robert Sanchez between the sticks.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Silva, Chilwell; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Gallagher, Sterling; Jackson
