Drought over: Cole Palmer scored his first Chelsea goal since January in last weekend’s win over Liverpool
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Chelsea Football Newsletter
Your matchday briefing on Chelsea, featuring team news and expert analysis from Malik Ouzia
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Enzo Maresca will bring back his Chelsea big guns for their huge game at Newcastle.
Maresca fielded an much-changed side for Thursday’s Conference League semi-final second-leg win over Djurgarden at Stamford Bridge, including handing a first senior start to 16-year-old Reggie Walsh in midfield.
The Blues return to Premier League action at St James’ Park on Sunday for the first of what Maresca called “three finals” to ensure they finish in the top five and qualify for the Champions League.
Newcastle currently sit above them in fourth place on goals scored and so Maresca’s team could feature 10 changes on Tyneside.
That means Marc Cucurella could be the only man to keep his place from the game against Djurgarden, having started in midfield on Thursday but likely to return to left-back this weekend.
Robert Sanchez will replace Filip Jorgensen in goal, while key attacking duo Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson are also expected to start.
Maresca could pick an identical XI to that which stunned champions Liverpool last weekend, including a start for Romeo Lavia in midfield and Moises Caicedo as an auxiliary right-back.
Asked whether his lineup at Newcastle will be similar to the team named against Liverpool, Maresca said: “Yes, we’ll see it. The first match against Djurgarden also gave us a little bit of a chance to rotate and to protect players. We’ll see.”
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Christopher Nkunku, Wesley Fofana and Omari Kellyman are all injured, while Mykhailo Mudryk remains unavailable.
Marc Guiu was not risked against Djurgarden but could make his return to the matchday squad if he passes a late fitness test.
Predicted Chelsea XI (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Caicedo, Colwill, Chalobah, Cucurella; Lavia, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Madueke; Jackson
Doubt: Guiu
Injured: Nkunku, Fofana, Kellyman
Unavailable: Mudryk
Time and date: 12pm BST on Sunday May 11, 2025
Venue: St James’ Park, Newcastle
How to watch: TNT Sports
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