Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca is expected to make significant changes to his team for the visit of Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Blues were 5-1 winners against Ajax in the Champions League on Wednesday night as Maresca swapped 10 from the side that beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 last weekend, with only midfielder Romeo Lavia retaining his place in the starting lineup.
The Italian could now revert back to a similar team to the one that delivered a commanding second-half display at the City Ground, leading to the immediate end of Ange Postecoglou’s short-lived reign.
Maresca will conduct his pre-Sunderland press conference on Friday and provide clarity then on the latest injury updates for his squad.
Levi Colwill, Cole Palmer, Benoit Badiashile and Dario Essugo all remain sidelined through injury, but Liam Delap is nearing a return as he is “very close” to training with the group, according to Maresca.
It is likely that Joao Pedro will return to the lineup against Sunderland after serving a Champions League suspension against Ajax, but he could operate in the No10 role behind Marc Guiu.
Guiu scored his first Champions League goal against Ajax and may be kept up front this weekend.
The teenager spent the first 25 days of this season on loan with Sunderland but was recalled early by Chelsea on August 31 due to a shortage of strikers following Delap’s injury and the exits of Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson. He could face his former team at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca may look to rest Lavia against Sunderland by starting the fit-again Enzo Fernandez next to Moises Caicedo in midfield.
Malo Gusto was shown a second yellow card in second-half stoppage time at Forest so must serve a one-match suspension.
Predicted Chelsea XI (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Tosin, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Estevao, Joao Pedro, Neto; Guiu
Injured: Palmer, Colwill, Badiashile, Delap, Essugo
Suspended: Gusto
Unavailable: Mudryk
Time and date: 3pm BST on Saturday October 25, 2025
Venue: Stamford Bridge
