Tosin Adarabioyo and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall will return to the Chelsea starting lineup against Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
Chelsea will be desperate to return to winning ways when they welcome Southampton to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. Enzo Maresca has a new injury concern that is hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Trevoh Chalobah is a short-term absentee after picking up a lower back injury this past weekend against Aston Villa. The academy graduate has joined Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Omari Kellyman, Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson, and Marc Guiu, with each player recovering from a thigh injury.
In addition, Mykhailo Mudryk continues to serve his suspension after failing a doping test last year. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Maresca provided a fitness update on Chalobah and confirmed how long the academy graduate would be on the sidelines.
The Chelsea manager said, “Trevoh had a check yesterday and he will be [out of action] for around one week to 10 days. On the one hand it’s good that it’s not a big injury but on the other hand, it is a shame because we lose another player to injury. He won’t play against Southampton but we will see how he is for the next one.”
Meanwhile, Maresca discussed Pedro Neto’s versatility during his presser, heaping praise on the Portuguese international for his ability to reprise multiple roles, including centre-forward.
The Chelsea boss said, “It could be a good option for us with the Nico [Jackson] injury and the Marc Guiu injury. We tried with Pedro days before the game and we saw he could do that. It was positive. The performance in general was positive. Enzo was fantastic. Reece, after a long time, 90 minutes, he struggled in some moments but it’s normal, overall his performance was very good.”
Christopher Nkunku should return to the central striker’s berth against Southampton, with Pedro Neto moving to the flanks. The duo will accompany Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer in the final third. As for the midfield unit, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall should make a rare start, joining Moises Caicedo in the double pivot.
So, Reece James will drop to the bench, with Malo Gusto starting as the right-back. The French defender will join Marc Cucurella, Levi Colwill, and Tosin Adarabioyo in the backline, with the latter replacing the injured Trevoh Chalobah. Finally, Filip Jorgensen will retain his spot between the sticks ahead of Robert Sanchez.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Jorgensen; Gusto, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella; Dewsbury-Hall, Caicedo; Palmer, Fernandez, Neto; Nkunku
