Pedro Neto will make his Chelsea bow, while Romeo Lavia should feature in the midfield trifecta against Manchester City on Sunday.
Chelsea will aim to kick off the Enzo Maresca on a high when they welcome Manchester City to Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening. And the new manager does not have many pressing roster issues to deal with ahead of his first game in charge of the West London club.
Reece James is the most notable absentee, with the club captain recovering from a hamstring injury. However, he would not have played against Manchester City anyway due to a three-match suspension. Djordje Petrovic and Omari Kellyman might be the other players on the sidelines, although they are close to being available.
Meanwhile, Conor Gallagher will not feature as he waits to complete his move to Atletico Madrid. On the other hand, Pedro Neto is in line for his Blues debut, with Maresca addressing the subject during his pre-match press conference. The Italian tactician also discussed other issues, including James.
The Chelsea manager said, “We have just one injury, that is Reece James. The rest are fit and they will be available. Unfortunately, he got an injury two or three minutes before we were going to change him, otherwise we would have avoided it. That can happen. Sometimes injuries can be because of different things, but we are managing the situation well.”
“Pedro’s physical condition is good, the only thing is that he’s been here for just the last two or three days, so he will need to get used to the way we play. He is fit for sure but whether he starts for us or is on the bench, we will make that decision. But he is physically fit to be involved and he’s available.”
Pedro Neto should be fit enough to feature from the get-go. The Portuguese international will join Christopher Nkunku and Cole Palmer in the final third. As for the midfield unit, Romeo Lavia should start, joining Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez in the middle of the park. So, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall must wait for his Chelsea debut.
The backline should not throw many surprises, with Wesley Fofana making a long-awaited return to the starting lineup. The young centre-back should join Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella, and Malo Gusto in the backline. Finally, Robert Sanchez will take his spot between the sticks.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Lavia, Caicedo; Neto, Nkunku, Palmer
