Josh Acheampong has been given a big chance in the Champions League. He will start for Chelsea for the first time since the game against Wolves on October 29. The Cobham graduate is in a new defense for the trip to Bergamo, and captain Reece James is back in the starting lineup on a big European night.
Head coach Enzo Maresca has picked an interesting XI for the game against Atalanta, balancing the need for points in the league phase with the need to rotate players. Benoit Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah are in charge of protecting Robert Sanchez on the backline, while Marc Cucurella plays on the left.
Adding both James and Acheampong shows that the team is flexible with its tactics. James could play in an inverted role or move into midfield alongside Moises Caicedo, who is returning. Even without Cole Palmer, the Blues have a lot of speed and creativity in their attack.
Joao Pedro is in charge of the attack, with Jamie Gittens and Pedro Neto on the wings and Enzo Fernandez in the middle pulling the strings. The bench is just as full of stars, with summer arrivals Estevao Willian and Alejandro Garnacho. If the game in Italy gets tough, Maresca can bring in either of them to help.
The visitors will be pleased to have Caicedo back. The Ecuadorian midfielder is available to play in Europe despite currently serving a three-match domestic ban. It will be crucial for him to be there to help win the midfield battle against Bergamo’s usually hard-working team. Meanwhile, Palmer’s complete absence from the squad is a planned move to keep him healthy during a busy December schedule.
Enzo Maresca talks about playing Atalanta
Before the game, Enzo Maresca discussed the tactical challenges the Serie A team would pose and clarified the status of several key players who would not be there. The Chelsea manager said Cole Palmer’s absence was a precaution, not a new injury. Maresca told reporters:
“Cole, it is part of his process in this moment. He’s not available, he can’t play two games in a row in three days. So we’ve planned that and it’s just a way to protect him.”
Maresca also gave an update on striker Liam Delap, who won’t be playing because he hurt his shoulder during the draw with Bournemouth over the weekend:
“Liam, fortunately he’s not got any fracture. That is good news for us. Now for how long he will be out, not sure to be honest.”
Maresca told his players to be ready for a tough game against Atalanta in Bergamo, where they are known for their aggressive man-marking system. He said that playing away in Italy is hard and that Chelsea needs to be tactically disciplined if they want to get a result that will bring them closer to automatic qualification for the knockout stages.