Enzo Maresca has a number of decisions to make when it comes to selecting his side to take on Fluminense in the Club World Cup semi-final.
The Italian will be sweating on the fitness of club captain Reece James after he pulled out of the quarter-final in the warm up.
James has returned to training ahead of the clash with former teammate Thiago Silva, and will now be hoping he is ready for the huge game.
Moises Caicedo will return from his suspension that kept him out of the win over Palmeiras, although the Blues will be without Levi Colwill and Liam Delap after they picked up their second yellow cards of the tournament.
The decision over who replaces the striker will be a big one for Maresca to make, and he has a number of options to choose from.
Enzo Maresca hints Joao Pedro may start for Chelsea in Club World Cup semi-final
Nicolas Jackson is available again, however he was not given his chance in the previous game after Joao Pedro was given the nod instead.
Pedro impressed in his debut for the club, and is building towards making his first start since his £60m move from Brighton.
Maresca told the Chelsea website before the game that the Brazilian is ready to feature, naming him before Jackson in his list of players who could replace Delap.
He said: “I think in the last game we had Romeo out, Moi (Caicedo) out, Reece (James) out, and we found a solution with Andrey (Santos) playing in midfield.
“Now with Levi and Liam out, we will find different solutions. Joao Pedro is ready, and we also have Nico (Jackson). For sure, we will find a solution.”
Joao Pedro impresses Chelsea’s toughest critic
John Obi Mikel has proven a difficult man to please when it comes to the current Chelsea squad. Mikel has been scathing of Jackson whilst providing punditry during the Club World Cup.
However, the former Blues star was very impressed by Pedro’s debut against Palmeiras, and praised him for his performance after so little time training with the squad.
He said: “He (Joao Pedro) was lively. He came into the game. He was very, very positive. We could see some good flashes of the kind of player he is. His first touch was really, really good.
“He was very, very hungry and wanted to show exactly why he’s at the football club, and that’s what you wanted to see. For me, I think he’s going to be a very, very good signing for us… He hasn’t trained with the team for such a long time, but to perform this way is absolutely fantastic. It’s great to see.”
Pedro will be looking to convince Maresca that he should be in his starting side when the new Premier League season rolls around, and a strong showing in the semi-finals will do just that.
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