Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson will return to the Chelsea starting lineup against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
Chelsea will be eager to return to winning ways when they host Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night. Enzo Maresca has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, and Nicolas Jackson have resumed training and should be ready to return to action this weekend. In addition, Marc Guiu is closing in on making his comeback, although Thursday’s game has come too soon for the Spanish striker.
However, Omari Kellyman remains on the sidelines, while Mykhailo Mudryk’s suspension has not ended yet. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Maresca confirmed Palmer, Madueke, and Jackson’s availability for Thursday’s game against Tottenham. The Italian tactician also commented on Reece James’s progress.
The Chelsea manager confirmed the trio were ready to start and elaborated further on their situations. He said, “Probably Nico and Noni, no, because they come back after two months, and Cole is just in case he has to play 90 minutes.”
“The idea is to try to continue with him [Reece James] and not to use him every three days, because we want to help him be fit at least until the end of the season, and then from there to see if we can start and go again every three days. Every day our medical staff speak with him to see how he is, to see if he is able to train, if it’s good, if it’s not good. In the last weeks he is training every day, he is good, and this is the reason why we are happy.”
Robert Sanchez should take his spot between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Tottenham on Thursday. The backline will feature Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez in the double pivot. Cole Palmer will reprise the no. 10 role, with Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho being the two wide attackers. Finally, Nicolas Jackson will lead the line for the home side against Tottenham on Thursday.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Sanchez; James, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson