Chelsea will be hoping to keep their momentum going this weekend when they host Premier League rivals Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea play at home to Villa on Sunday afternoon in an intriguing Premier League fixture.
Villa manager Unai Emery has praised Chelsea in the build-up, but there’s only three points that separates them in the division table right now.
The Blues returned after the international break with a 2-1 away win at Leicester City last Saturday. Afterwards, a much-rotated Chelsea team beat Heidenheim on Thursday in the Conference League group stages.
The Chelsea Chronicle has predicted that Enzo Maresca will pick a starting XI against Villa that includes three changes from the team that won at Leicester in the league:
Chelsea Head Coach Enzo Maresca and his coaching staff celebrate a goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at Stamfo...
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Chelsea predicted XI vs Aston Villa
Robert Sanchez maintains his starting position as the Chelsea goalkeeper in the starting XI. There’s no doubt he’s under massive pressure from teammate Filip Jorgensen, though.
Peter Crouch wants Chelsea keeper Jorgensen to start in the league, but the head coach has stood by under-fire Sanchez so far this season.
The first of three changes sees Malo Gusto return to the team at right-back at the expense of Benoit Badiashile.
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Wesley Fofana, who started at full-back versus Leicester, is likely to shift across to partner Levi Colwill at centre-back.
Finally, Marc Cucurella keeps his spot as he continues impressing at left-back.
Despite the fact Enzo Fernandez was man of the match at Leicester, he could be a surprise casualty and drop out of the XI. Romeo Lavia may replace him in the centre of the park to partner Moises Caicedo, which has been the preferred midfield combination in the bigger games.
The third and final change could see Pedro Neto back in the starting line-up, which would result in £46m attacker (Sky Sports) Joao Felix dropping to the bench.
Noni Madueke continues again on the right wing, although he’s under increasing pressure to keep his spot.
Cole Palmer continues as the heart of the side in the No.10 position. Rio Ferdinand insists Palmer continues to make Chelsea tick.
Finally, Nicolas Jackson leads the line again as the central striker, despite the fact that Christopher Nkunku scored his 11th goal of the season across all competitions during Thursday’s victory over Heidenheim.
Predicted Chelsea XI (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Lavia; Madueke, Palmer, Neto, Jackson
Chelsea starting crucial run
There’s no doubt that this next set of league games is a great opportunity for Chelsea to consolidate their spot in the Premier League’s top four.
The Blues play seven top-flight matches in a very busy December:
There has been a positive feeling about Chelsea’s start under Maresca, but we’ll learn a lot more about this young side in the next few weeks.
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