Ben Chilwell Chelsea
Chelsea Football Club Stamford Bridge
Chelsea are preparing to welcome Tottenham Hotspur in matchweek 30 of the Premier League and a win on Thursday night will be very important for Enzo Maresca and his team’s Champions League aspirations.
The Blues are currently holding onto the fourth spot on the league table but City, Brighton and Newcastle are all within touching distance. If Chelsea fail to pick up all three points there’s a very good chance they will go into the next matchweek as the eighth-placed team on the table.
Thankfully for Maresca, Tottenham have not been in great form this season and they are currently 14th on the table with just 34 points. They have won just one out of their previous five matches in all competitions and to make matters worse the Lilywhites haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last six outings.
Based on recent form, Chelsea should emerge as the winners on Thursday night but it goes without saying that Ange’s team has the firepower to shock the Blues at the Bridge.
Chelsea’s team news and injuries vs Spurs:
The Chelsea manager will receive several selection boosts in midweek with the return of key players like Cole Palmer, Madueke and Nicolas Jackson.
Cole Palmer missed the Arsenal game before the international break but he’s since returned to training at Cobham and the playmaker should reprise his role in the No. 10 position. The England international might have an xG of 15.3 but he’s seen a sharp dip in form in recent months. Palmer has not made a goal contribution in his previous 10 appearances and this stat needs to quickly change if Chelsea wish to finish in the top four.
Madueke has been out of action since mid-February with a hamstring injury but the winger should start against Tottenham. His return will be a massive boost for the Chelsea manager because Maresca will finally be able to drop Jadon Sancho.
Like Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson also picked up a hamstring injury back in February but the striker will return to the starting lineup on Thursday night. Jackson has been in fairly decent form – scoring 9 and assisting another 5 goals in 23 PL matches so it will be a big boost to have him back.
https://twitter.com/brfootball/status/1905675184478077103
Jackson’s return will put question marks over Pedro Neto’s selection but the Portugal international is a versatile player who can play on either wing. Nkunku hasn’t been that great meaning the Chelsea manager can easily use Neto on the left wing.
The midfield and defence are not going to see any major changes and the only shuffle from the defeat against Arsenal will be the return of Reece James to the right-back role.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Spurs:
Goalkeeper: Sanchez
Defenders: Fofana, Reece James, Colwill, Marc Cucurella
Midfielders: Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer
Forwards: Noni Madueke, Nkunku/Pedro Neto, Nicolas Jackson