Ahead of Sunday afternoon’s clash with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, Xabi Alonso needs to make four decisions. The starting XI is based on the latest injury news and may change depending on what the Spaniard says in his press conference on Friday.
Chelsea head into the game in fourth place after a 2-0 win over Manchester United, but Joao Pedro, Maxence Lacroix, Reece James and Jamie Gittens are all out. Emiliano Martinez, Moises Caicedo and Jordan Henderson are all in doubt, along with Jorrel Hato and Aaron Anselmino.
Prediction (4-2-3-1): Penders; Acheampong, Fofana, Colwill, Palestra; Caicedo, Lavia; Estevao, Palmer, Neto; Rogers
Goalkeeper – Penders
Martinez has been training with a face mask on and is eager to play, but it would be better for him to sit out one more game. Mike Penders put in a fantastic late save to claim his first clean sheet in the Premier League against the Red Devils. Martinez will be joining Argentina for the international break anyway, so there is little point in rushing him back after jaw surgery.
Left Back – Palestra
Pep Chavarria is a natural left back but is listed as a doubt by some outlets. His fitness should be confirmed in Friday’s press conference. Meanwhile, Marco Palestra put in an impressive performance on the left in his first league start. We wouldn’t want to risk changing our defence after they kept a clean sheet.
Midfield – Lavia
Lavia is the obvious choice after his performance last weekend. He created the opening goal for Morgan Rogers and won the ball back 14 times in the match, the most by any Chelsea player in a single game for over three and a half years. If Moises Caicedo isn’t playing after missing open training, then Jordan Henderson should come in to play alongside Lavia.
Centre Forward – Rogers
We wouldn’t want to play Cole Palmer as a false nine, as we would be taking our best creative player away from the areas where he causes problems. Emmanuel Emegha hasn’t played since making his debut at Anfield last month, so would be better suited to coming on late. Rogers played as the most advanced attacker against United and scored a great goal after showing good pace on the break, so he will be our choice until Joao Pedro returns.
Why I Think A Back Four Will Be Used At The Stadium Of Light
There is some conflicting information about what formation Alonso will use. Some fans are predicting a 3-4-2-1, while others are predicting a 4-2-3-1. We think they will go with a back four, as the Blues set out with four defenders in Chelsea’s line-up against United. Acheampong was playing on the right and Palestra on the left. Reece James is injured, and Malo Gusto has not been starting, so a back three would mean putting Pedro Neto into a defensive wing-back role, which would take away his threat.
Playing in a 4-2-3-1 will also give Estevao more attacking freedom. He had two disallowed goals against United in his first league start of the season. The Black Cats will be missing Dan Ballard and Omar Alderete, so playing our best dribblers high up the pitch gives Alonso the best chance to expose their replacements.