Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke have dropped an early team news hint before Chelsea's showdown with Tottenham Hotspur. Enzo Maresca will lock horns with Ange Postecoglou in north London on Sunday afternoon as the Blues look to narrow Liverpool's lead at the top of the table.
After the Merseyside derby was postponed, Chelsea - and Arsenal for that matter - have the chance to go within four points of the Reds in the title race. The Blues enjoyed a 5-1 win over Southampton at St. Mary's on Wednesday night, leapfrogging the Gunners to claim second place.
Then, on Thursday night, Tottenham fell to 10th after losing 1-0 to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. The Lilywhites have since dropped into the bottom half of the table following Brentford's 4-2 win over Newcastle United.
Nevertheless, Nkunku and Madueke have posted pre-match graphic previews of the Spurs fixture to their respective Instagram stories. Historically, this suggests the duo will be involved - at least in some capacity.
Enzo Fernandez, Robert Sanchez, Malo Gusto, Benoit Badiashile and Moises Caicedo have also done the same, hinting that they too will start against Postecoglou's side. Speaking to reporters ahead of the Tottenham game, Maresca was quizzed on his previous comment about Madueke.
He urged the 22-year-old winger to push himself more in training. The Chelsea head coach said: "Noni, as I said, overall he is working well since we started, but sometimes he drops a little bit and he is not allowed to drop. In terms of numbers, he is doing fantastic; goals and assists.
"Off the ball, when we ask him to defend and press, he is doing very well. The only reason I said it the other day is because I want the best for Noni. The only way to get best from him is to push him every time.
"The moment he relaxes a little bit, it is wrong."
With that said, Maresca will be relying on England star Madueke to step up and fire Chelsea to victory. While a few players have posted pre-match previews of the Tottenham game to their Instagram stories, it does not necessarily mean they will definitely start or, at the very least, play any part.
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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