Mauricio Pochettino will be forced to look to his squad again and make some changes ahead of Chelsea’s next Premier League outing against Crystal Palace tomorrow.
Two of his most important players this season will not be available after picking up suspensions for accumulative yellow cards this season.
The manager will be looking for a response from his players after their disappointing result against Wolves on Christmas Eve, where they were defeated 2-1.
Here’s The Chelsea Chronicle’s predicted line-up for the side that will face Palace at Stamford Bridge tomorrow evening.
GK and Defence
Djordje Petrovic did little wrong in the defeat at Molineux, and will continue his run in the side tomorrow night.
The right-back role will again be filled by Malo Gusto, who returned to the starting side last time out after his recent injury woes.
The hectic run of fixtures will see the veteran Thiago Silva rested, and Benoit Badiashile returning to the starting side.
He will be partnered by Levi Colwill, who will finally get a rare appearance in his natural position after being forced to feature on the left.
Instead, that role will see a first start handed to Ian Maatsen, who has been restricted to substitute appearances as of now.
Midfield
Pochettino will be hoping that Moises Caicedo is healthy again after his recent illness, and he makes our predicted squad for tomorrow night.
He will be joined by Conor Gallagher, who remains an ever present in the squad for the manager when he has been eligible.
Ahead of those two, Cole Palmer’s absence will see a first start in a deeper role for Christopher Nkunku, as he looks to bring together a disjointed frontline.
Attack
Raheem Sterling’s suspension will allow Noni Madueke a rare chance to impress for the Blues from the start, following a positive cameo the other day.
On the opposite side, Mykhailo Mudryk will return to the starting side after the duel striker experiment failed drastically on Christmas Eve.
Up front, Nicolas Jackson is surely entering last chance territory before the Blues look to the upcoming transfer market to potentially strengthen for the rest of the campaign.
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