Chelsea returned to winning ways in the week off the back of their 2–1 home defeat to Sunderland, but a 4–3 victory at Molineux has hardly inspired confidence heading into Saturday’s London derby.
However, the Blues seldom need to be at their very best when they face up against Tottenham Hotspur, who they’ve beaten in nine of their 11 previous outings. It’s a head-to-head tussle they’ve dominated in modern times.
Enzo Maresca was also able to rest a few notable names on Wednesday night in preparation for their trip to N17, and the Italian will know what a defeat in this fixture will do to his standing among Chelsea supporters.
The visitors are still without the talismanic Cole Palmer, who was brilliant in this fixture last season, so here’s how Chelsea could line up in his ongoing absence on Saturday evening.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Tottenham (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sánchez—No clean sheet in his previous two outings, but Sánchez has enjoyed a steady start to the new season, and he desperately needed it.
RB: Reece James—The England international has been brilliant this season, and Maresca has tinkered with his role by the game. Spurs had some issues defending crosses in the week, so James’s delivery may be a point of emphasis.
CB: Wesley Fofana—Chelsea’s struggles defensively may convince Maresca to turn to Fofana, who’s the most talented defender on their books but hasn’t been able to stay fit.
CB: Trevoh Chalobah—Chalobah wasn’t quite as bad as Tosin Adarabioyo during Sunderland’s game-winning sequence last weekend, but he didn’t exactly cover himself in glory. Still, he’s more likely to operate on the left side of Chelsea’s defence here.
LB: Marc Cucurella—The Spaniard’s duel with Mohammed Kudus could decide how much joy Spurs have from open play on Saturday evening.
CM: Moisés Caicedo—The Ecuadorian star is one of several players who will come back into the team after earning a midweek rest. Well, Caicedo did appear off the bench for a cameo at Molineux.
CM: Andrey Santos—We shouldn’t be seeing Santos utilised higher up for the sake of inverting Malo Gusto from right-back. The Brazilian was excellent in a deeper midfield position on Wednesday, and he may have played himself into the team.
RW: Estêváo—Chelsea have a group of so-so wingers at their disposal, but Estêváo is something special. He has the potential to light up Saturday’s derby, and his battle with Djed Spence should be riveting.
AM: Enzo Fernández—The Argentine has been a protagonist in this fixture since joining the club, scoring in both games last season.
LW: Pedro Neto—Alejandro Garnacho scored against Sunderland and Jamie Gittens netted a potential Goal of the Season contender in midweek, but Maresca is likely to go with Neto down the left.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Tottenham: Key Players Recalled for Derby.
