Enzo Maresca will ring in the changes when Chelsea and Brentford face off at Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening.
Chelsea will aim to close the gap to Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table when they welcome Brentford to Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening. And Enzo Maresca has a new roster issue to worry about ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Pedro Neto is the latest absentee, with the Portuguese international serving a suspension after incurring his fifth booking of the 2024/25 Premier League season last weekend. The summer arrival has joined Reece James, Wesley Fofana, and Omari Kellyman on the sidelines, with the trio recovering from hamstring injuries.
Meanwhile, in his comments ahead of this weekend’s Premier League game, Maresca did not provide a fitness update on any player. Instead, he discussed his team’s growing impact from the left flank.
The Chelsea manager said, “Jadon, since we started, is doing well. He was lacking a finish because we had many different games where he arrived one-v-one and he is always looking for an assist. This is good but sometimes he is in a position where he can take a shot and now he is doing better.”
“If you look at us this season, from the right winger with Noni and Pedro, the right pocket with Cole, the number nine with Christo and Nico, we have scored goals. From the left side and left pocket, we struggle a little bit but now we start with Enzo and Jadon. With the five attacking players, we need goals and assists from them. All the same.”
Pedro Neto’s suspension means Jadon Sancho and Noni Madueke are the automatic picks on the flanks. Cole Palmer will reprise the no. 10 role, with Nicolas Jackson leading the line for Chelsea against Brentford this weekend.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in the double pivot. The backline should not see any surprises, with Malo Gusto, Benoit Badiashile, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella completing the defensive quartet. Finally, Robert Sanchez will take his spot between the sticks.
Chelsea vs Brentford: Preview and Prediction.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson