Chelsea have been handed a tough hand for their first game back in the Champions League, and The Chelsea Chronicle have predicted who Enzo Maresca will start to face Bayern Munich.
The Blues have a tricky run in the competition, including matchups with Barcelona and Napoli, however arguably the hardest game has come first at the Allianz Arena.
Maresca eased some of his key players back into action after the international break. Cole Palmer, Marc Cucurella and Reece James all started their last game against Brentford on the bench.
The boss will have seen some positives and negatives from the 2-2 draw against their West London rivals, however the performance of Jamie Gittens was concerning for Chelsea fans.
With that said, The Chelsea Chronicle have predicted who Maresca will name in his starting side for the all important Champions League opener.
Chelsea predicted XI vs Bayern Munich
There could be very little complaints aimed at Robert Sanchez for the two goals conceded against Brentford, and he will maintain his 100% record of playing this season.
The game changed at the weekend when Maresca called on his subs, with one of those coming on being Reece James. He will start for the Blues, with James being the only surviving member of the Chelsea team who last faced Bayern.
Wesley Fofana was reintroduced into an unfamiliar position of right-back against Brentford, and we think he will move to the centre of defence for this game.
He will be partnered by Trevoh Chalobah, who has enjoyed a strong start to the season and was the better centre-back ahead of Tosin Adarabioyo against Brentford.
Marc Cucurella will return to the starting side for the match against Bayern Munich. It was a difficult first start for Jorrel Hato in his place last time out.
Moises Caicedo’s fierce strike against Brentford deserved to win any game, and his importance to the side was shown in the rest of his performance.
There was also a far more impressive overall performance from Enzo Fernandez to shout about in the West London derby, and he will continue in the starting side.
There will be a return to the starting side for Cole Palmer, who will have personally been delighted to find the net from open play again for the first time in the Premier League since January.
Providing he is back from his illness, Estevao Willian will be handed a start on the right of attack, giving him a huge opportunity to further announce himself as a star of the future at Stamford Bridge.
Pedro Neto’s electric start to the season will see him remain in the starting side, seeing Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho remain on the bench.
Up front will see another start for Joao Pedro. This is despite Maresca admitting Pedro is not at 100% fitness right now.
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