Chelsea predicted line-up vs Luton Town: four changes made as £43m star man returns

Chelsea will look to end a bruising 2023 on a high this weekend, as they eye up back-to-back Premier League wins ahead of their clash against Luton Town. The Blues battled to a well-earned 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace in midweek, with improved performances from a number of players including Malo Gusto and Moises Caicedo seeing them edge Roy Hodgson's side at Stamford Bridge.

Big money signing Mykhailo Mudryk gave Chelsea the lead early on in the first half, but they were pegged back just before half time as Michael Olise netted with a clinical strike. Mauricio Pochettino's side managed to bag the victory in the 89th minute, with Noni Madueke both winning and scoring a penalty.

Luton will head into Saturday's lunchtime kick-off in fine spirits themselves, having beaten relegation rivals Sheffield United 3-2 in a Boxing Day thriller at Bramall Lane. Ahead of what should be an entertaining encounter at Kenilworth Road, we run through Chelsea's current injury situation, their team news, and have a crack at figuring out Pochettino's chosen starting line-up:

Chelsea injury news

Chelsea still have a number of injury concerns ahead of their final match of the calendar year. Robert Sanchez looks set to be out of action until at least early February, as he looks to recover from a knee injury. Vice-captain Ben Chilwell is stepping up his recovery from a hamstring injury, but will most likely have to wait until the middle of next month to feature for his side again. Fellow left-back Marc Cucurella is in a more dire injury situation, with his ankle injury unlikely to be overcome before early March.

The Blues will also be without their captain Reece James for a significant length of time, after he underwent surgery to treat a reoccurring hamstring injury. Another academy product, Trevoh Chalobah, is also currently out with a hamstring complaint, and has been heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in January. Wesley Fofana's return is still some way off, with the ACL injury he suffered in pre-season keeping him on the sidelines for a number of months.

World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez looks likely to be sidelined for a little longer, after developing a hernia. Lesley Ugochukwu joins the Blues' lengthy list of player suffering from hamstring injuries, and looks unlikely to be be involved against the Hatters. There is still no expected return date for former Aston Villa starlet Carney Chukwuemeka, as he continues to recover from the knee injury he suffered back in October.

Chelsea team news and predicted XI

Serbian stopper Djordje Petrovic looks set to continue in goal with number one Sanchez missing out through injury. The stand-in has been staking a case for holding onto the gloves permanently, after starring in his side's penalty shoot-out win over Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup, and is already looking more comfortable with the ball at his feet than Sanchez.

Chelsea's defensive line has been rotated constantly throughout the campaign so far, making it more than a little tricky to predict. Levi Colwill looks likely to continue in the left full-back position with Cucurella and Chilwell both injured. Thiago Silva played limited minutes against Palace in midweek, but should return to his spot in the heart of defence on Saturday - he's likely to be partnered by Axel Disasi, with Gusto the lead contender to start at right-back.

The Blues midfield has been obliterated with injuries of late, but Romeo Lavia will be pushing hard to make his first start after featuring from the bench in their last match. Pochettino may opt to err on the side of caution, however, and instead pair up current stand-in captain Conor Gallagher with Caicedo.

Pochettino will welcome back both Cole Palmer - a real FPL favourite this season - and Raheem Sterling to the squad for the trip to Luton, following their respective suspensions. They're both odds on to start, which would allow Christopher Nkunku to rest following his recent return to the fold. Mudryk will be hopefully of joining them to form a dynamic attacking trio.

Striker Nicolas Jackson again struggled to lead the line against Palace, and Pochettino could hand a start to Albanian striker Armando Broja instead. The Blues are said to be keen to sign a new striker in January, as they look to improve their record of converting the scores of opportunities created in each game.

Chelsea predicted line-up:

Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Silva, Colwill; Caicedo, Gallagher; Sterling, Palmer, Mudryk; Broja.