Christopher Nkunku and Trevoh Chalobah will return to the Chelsea starting lineup against Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup fourth round at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
Chelsea will aim to secure a place in the FA Cup fifth round when they lock horns with Brighton & Hove Albion in the fourth-round tie at the Amex Stadium on Saturday evening. Enzo Maresca has new injury concerns that are hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
The Italian tactician is sweating over Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu’s fitness after the duo picked up their injuries earlier this week against West Ham United. Jackson is recovering from a thigh issue, while Guiu has a groin injury, with the latter having a “long injury”.
Mykhailo Mudryk continues serving a doping ban, while Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Omari Kellyman, and Romeo Lavia remain on the sidelines due to their hamstring injuries. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Maresca provided a fitness update on Jackson, Guiu, and Lavia.
The Chelsea manager said, “Marc is unfortunately a bad injury. Nico is better and he could be [fit for the game]. But it could also be a risk [to play him] so we will see. But it doesn’t look like a long injury. Marc could be [a long injury]. We are still waiting to know the extent but it doesn’t look like a short injury, it looks long. Exactly how long, we don’t know yet. Probably weeks. Romeo is still in the process of coming back. But it’s still a long way to go.”
Meanwhile, Maresca discussed potential attacking alternatives amid Jackson and Guiu’s issues. He said, “We have players. Christo has played already as a No.9. I have had in the past Cole playing as a No,9. And we can find some different solutions. It’s a bit unlucky our two strikers got injuries in the same game.”
The Chelsea manager continued, “Fortunately, the Nico one looks quite good and we haven’t decided on anything because we are still waiting to see about Nico. From there we start to think about different options. We have had many conversations with Christo. He played the first game of the season in the winger position, then he played as a No.9, and in some games he has played as a No.10.”
Filip Jorgensen will retain his spot between the sticks, with the away side lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. The backline should feature Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella, with Reece James and Tosin Adarabioyo dropping to the bench.
As for the midfield unit, Enzo Fernandes and Moises Caicedo will pair up in the double pivot, with Cole Palmer being the most advanced midfielder. Finally, Christopher Nkunku will lead the line for the West London outfit against Brighton, with Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto being the two wide attackers.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Jorgensen; Gusto, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Nkunku
