Chelsea face a quick turnaround in games as they prepare for a Premier League meeting with Brentford on Sunday night.
The Blues had to deal with a 16-hour round trip to Kazakhstan in midweek as they beat Astana 3-1 in their Europa Conference League clash in Almaty.
Now, Chelsea will look to keep snapping at Liverpool’s heels and potentially close the gap to one point if the Reds lose on Saturday and the Blues win on Sunday.
Chelsea will be up against a Brentford side currently sitting ninth in the table but struggling away from home.
The Bees have taken only one point from a possible 21 in away games this season, compared to 22 points from an available 24 at home.
TBR Football looks at who Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca could name in his starting XI for the meeting with their fellow West Londoners at Stamford Bridge.
Brentford's Mathias Zanka Jorgensen battles with Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez during the Premier League match between Brentford FC and Chelsea FC at Br...
Photo by Stephanie Meek – CameraSport via Getty Images
Chelsea team news v Brentford
Chelsea will be without Pedro Neto for the Brentford game as he is serving a one-match ban after picking up five yellow cards this season.
Reece James and Wesley Fofana are still injured, while Romeo Lavia may be a doubt after he came off as a a precaution in the first half at Tottenham because of hamstring pain.
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Chelsea predicted starting XI v Brentford
Chelsea utilised a very young squad against Astana, with the likes of Josh Acheampong impressing fans and Marc Guiu being compared to Luis Suarez.
However, Maresca is now expected to bring back the big guns for the Premier League meeting against a Brentford side that has been brilliant at home but poor on the road.
Although Robert Sanchez’s displays have come under some scrutiny this season, he’s still likely to start in goal for Chelsea, with Filip Jorgensen rested after his trip to Kazakhstan.
Benoit Badiashile, Levi Colwill and Marc Cucurella should start in defence, while Malo Gusto could come in at right-back.
This would see Moises Caicedo return to midfield – alongside Enzo Fernandez – after featuring at right-back in last weekend’s 4-3 win over Tottenham.
Lavia is a doubt for the Brentford game and, even if fit, Maresca may not want to risk him from the off, so he could drop out of the XI.
Meanwhile, Neto’s suspension means Noni Madueke is likely to come in on the right-hand side, with Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho and Nicolas Jackson set to complete the line-up.
All in all, Chelsea would be making two changes from last week’s win over Spurs, with £58million ace Lavia and £54million star Neto replaced by Gusto and Madueke.
Chelsea predicted starting XI v Brentford
Chelsea predicted starting XI v Brentford: Sanchez; Gusto, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo; Madueke, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson
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