Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella will return to the Chelsea starting lineup when they host Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Chelsea will be eager to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they welcome Manchester City to Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening. Liam Rosenior has no new issues to worry about ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Enzo Fernandez remains unavailable due to a two-match internal suspension after his comments during the international break. Additionally, Mykhailo Mudryk continues his ban after failing a doping test over a year ago. Meanwhile, Filip Jorgensen (groin), Levi Colwill (knee), Trevoh Chalobah (ankle), Reece James (hamstring), and Jamie Gittens (thigh) remain on the sidelines.
However, Benoit Badiashile may be fit and available to take on Manchester City after recovering from an illness. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Rosenior provided fitness updates on James, Colwill, Chalobah, and Estevao Willian.
The Chelsea head coach said, “There are no new updates, but the positive is Estevao having 90 against Port Vale. Otherwise it’s the same really. Trevoh (Chalobah) is working really hard and is back on the pitch. Levi (Colwill) is training but still has some hurdles to overcome first, and Reece (James) has been running today.”
“None of them will be ready for Man City but they are working well. We have a good squad and they look really, really good. I know it was a game we were expected to win, but the way we went about things against Port Vale was very good and hopefully that springboards the rest of our run-in.”
During his press conference, Rosenior discussed the importance of Estevao upon his return. The Chelsea boss said, “The fans adore Estevao because he’s a magnificent player. We’ve missed him for two months and I think in the games we’ve had he would’ve made a huge difference for us in certain moments. It’s great that he looks really fresh and really fit for coming back and he’s going to play a huge part for us from now until the end of the season.”
Robert Sanchez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Manchester City on Sunday. The backline will feature Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Marc Cucurella.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Andrey Santos and Moises Caicedo in the double pivot. Cole Palmer will reprise the no. 10 role, with Pedro Neto and Estevao Willian being the two wide attackers. Finally, Joao Pedro will lead the line for the home side against Manchester City on Sunday. So, Alejandro Garnacho and Romeo Lavia will be among the backup options on the bench.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Adarabioyo, Cucurella; Santos, Caicedo; Estevao, Palmer, Neto; Pedro