Liam Rosenior has picked his starting XI for Chelsea’s Premier League London derby against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. The sixth-placed Blues are going to north London to play the table-topping Gunners. This will be their fourth meeting this season, and Chelsea are eager to beat their London rivals for the first time since 2021.
Chelsea’s defence will be without Wesley Fofana after he was sent off against Burnley. Marc Cucurella is also hurt, which makes the Blues’ defence even weaker for this important game. Without those key players, Rosenior has chosen a surprising backline that goes against what many expected before the game.
Robert Sanchez is in goal for Chelsea, and Reece James is the captain and plays right-back. Mamadou Sarr and Jorrel Hato have gotten unexpected starts in central defence and left-back, respectively. They will play alongside Trevoh Chalobah at centre-back. This is a different option from the two players who were expected to start, Tosin Adarabioyo and Malo Gusto.
Moises Caicedo and Andrey Santos are in charge of the midfield, and Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, and Pedro Neto are in charge of the attack behind striker Joao Pedro. There are a lot of choices on the bench, such as Tosin, Gusto, Romeo Lavia, Alejandro Garnacho, Liam Delap, and Marc Guiu. This gives Rosenior a lot of firepower for the second half if he needs it.
Rosenior Calls Arsenal Incredibly Well-Coached Before Trip To Emirates
Before this London derby, Rosenior talked about how much he liked Arsenal and how his team would play in the game. In his pre-match press conference, the Chelsea manager said that the Gunners were a great team in every way.
He praised their ability to compress high, keep their defensive shapes tight, and be great at set pieces, as well as their skill with the ball. Rosenior said that Arsenal’s current position at the top of the Premier League shows how well Mikel Arteta has coached them.
The 41-year-old manager, on the other hand, is still focused on getting a result. He says that it is his and his players’ job to find weaknesses in the Arsenal setup. Chelsea lost to Arsenal in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on February 1. They will be hoping to have learned from that loss.
The Blues are currently in sixth place with 45 points from 27 games. A win at the Emirates could help them move up to the top five and continue their work to qualify for the Champions League.