Thiago Silva will play his final game for Chelsea, while Reece James will miss the game against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Chelsea will have slim hopes of finishing fifth in the Premier League standings when they host Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening. And Mauricio Pochettino has new roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Reece James is the latest absentee, with the Englishman picking up a long suspension after seeing red against Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this week. In addition, Mykhailo Mudryk is unavailable due to a concussion after a clash with Tariq Lamptey.
The duo has joined Robert Sanchez (unspecified), Wesley Fofana (knee), Romeo Lavia (thigh), and Enzo Fernandez (groin) on the sidelines. However, there is some positive update, with Ben Chilwell closing in on returning to action. Meanwhile, Pochettino spoke about James, Thiago Silva, and Christopher Nkunku during his pre-match press conference.
The Chelsea manager said, “It was a very difficult season but now we need to help him [James] move on and then accept the punishment that for sure will be there in the next few days. The most important thing is that we back him, we trust him, and for sure he needs to be ready for pre-season to train and to build his fitness. Then the talent is there and next season for sure he will be one of the best players in the Premier League again.”
On Nkunku, Pochettino said, “He played more than we expected because of the problem with Mudryk, he played 70 minutes [if you include injury-time], a little longer than we planned. Tomorrow we will assess whether he can start. For sure 90 minutes is difficult for him to play and we played Wednesday and now on Sunday again. If you don’t have one week to recover, it’s a little shorter.”
On Silva, the Chelsea boss said, “We will miss him. Thiago has had a fantastic career and here in his time at Chelsea. We are going to miss him because always when a big character leaves the club, we are going to miss them.”
Silva will play his final game for Chelsea on Sunday, pairing up with Trevoh Chalobah at the heart of the defence. Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella will complete the numbers in the backline, with Djordje Petrovic being an automatic pick between the sticks.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Conor Gallagher and Moises Caicedo in the double pivot. Cole Palmer will reprise the no. 10 role, with Raheem Sterling and Noni Madueke being the two wide attackers. Finally, Nicolas Jackson will lead the line for the home side against Bournemouth.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Petrovic; Gusto, Chalobah, Silva, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher; Madueke, Palmer, Sterling; Jackson
Thiago Silva will play his final game for Chelsea, while Reece James will miss the game against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Chelsea will have slim hopes of finishing fifth in the Premier League standings when they host Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening. And Mauricio Pochettino has new roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Reece James is the latest absentee, with the Englishman picking up a long suspension after seeing red against Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this week. In addition, Mykhailo Mudryk is unavailable due to a concussion after a clash with Tariq Lamptey.
The duo has joined Robert Sanchez (unspecified), Wesley Fofana (knee), Romeo Lavia (thigh), and Enzo Fernandez (groin) on the sidelines. However, there is some positive update, with Ben Chilwell closing in on returning to action. Meanwhile, Pochettino spoke about James, Thiago Silva, and Christopher Nkunku during his pre-match press conference.
The Chelsea manager said, “It was a very difficult season but now we need to help him [James] move on and then accept the punishment that for sure will be there in the next few days. The most important thing is that we back him, we trust him, and for sure he needs to be ready for pre-season to train and to build his fitness. Then the talent is there and next season for sure he will be one of the best players in the Premier League again.”
On Nkunku, Pochettino said, “He played more than we expected because of the problem with Mudryk, he played 70 minutes [if you include injury-time], a little longer than we planned. Tomorrow we will assess whether he can start. For sure 90 minutes is difficult for him to play and we played Wednesday and now on Sunday again. If you don’t have one week to recover, it’s a little shorter.”
On Silva, the Chelsea boss said, “We will miss him. Thiago has had a fantastic career and here in his time at Chelsea. We are going to miss him because always when a big character leaves the club, we are going to miss them.”
Silva will play his final game for Chelsea on Sunday, pairing up with Trevoh Chalobah at the heart of the defence. Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella will complete the numbers in the backline, with Djordje Petrovic being an automatic pick between the sticks.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Conor Gallagher and Moises Caicedo in the double pivot. Cole Palmer will reprise the no. 10 role, with Raheem Sterling and Noni Madueke being the two wide attackers. Finally, Nicolas Jackson will lead the line for the home side against Bournemouth.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Petrovic; Gusto, Chalobah, Silva, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher; Madueke, Palmer, Sterling; Jackson