Opinion

Chelsea predicted XI vs Bournemouth as Enzo Maresca changes one player’s position and rewards ‘incredible’ ace

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It will be interesting to see what line-up Enzo Maresca puts out in Chelsea’s upcoming match against Bournemouth.

Enzo Maresca changed practically his whole team for Chelsea‘s 5-0 victory over Morecambe on Saturday, and quite a few of those changes managed to impress.

The above includes Joao Felix and Tosin Adarabioyo, who will be hoping to retain their places. Felix has really given Maresca a headache after his two-goal display against Derek Adams’ side.

With all of that in mind, then, how could Chelsea line up in their Premier League tie with Bournemouth on Tuesday?

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Chelsea predicted XI vs Bournemouth

The goalkeeper is pretty straightforward. Maresca has made it clear on multiple occasions that Robert Sanchez is his No.1.

Defence is where things could get more complicated. After not featuring against Morecambe, you would now expect Josh Acheampong to start Chelsea’s next game, perhaps at right-back instead of in central defence.

While Acheampong did play at centre-back in the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace, he is naturally a full-back, while Adarabioyo probably deserves to keep his place in the team after his complete display on Saturday. Levi Colwill should join him at the centre, while Marc Cucurella begins the game on the left.

In midfield, Maresca is likely to go with the elite combo of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez as the 44-year-old manages Romeo Lavia’s minutes carefully.

It would be harsh to drop Joao Felix after all of the effort he put in on Saturday. The Portuguese scored two goals and worked extremely hard off the ball; he has to start on the left. Pedro Neto has hailed Felix as an “incredible player” in the past, and he could be deployed on the opposite flank to his countryman.

Cole Palmer is an automatic starter in that No.10 position, which is why Felix is finding it so hard to break into Maresca’s team and has to play on the left.

Nicolas Jackson has struggled for goals of late, netting just once in his last six outings, but he continues to be Maresca’s main man up front.

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Josh Acheampong at right-back logical

Reece James is, of course, fit again. And the Chelsea captain managed to shine in his side’s third-round victory in the FA Cup.

For example, two of James’ stats were really impressive. And had he not been taken off at half-time, they would have probably been even better.

However, like with Lavia, Maresca needs to be careful with him. Because of that and Adarabioyo’s excellent performance in Chelsea’s latest game at Stamford Bridge, Acheampong starting at right-back on Tuesday may very well be the way to go.