Chelsea predicted line-up vs Tottenham: six big changes made as Blues enter title race
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Spirits at Chelsea are at their highest in some time, with the youthful side finally starting to gel and rack up a series of impressive results. On Wednesday evening, Enzo Maresca’s side bulldozed their way past Southampton, claiming a 5-1 win on the south coast against a side who continued to play out from the back despite being punished for this approach on several occasions.
While their opposition were truly woeful at times, the Blues deserve plenty of credit for their latest swashbuckling performance, with the likes of Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke dazzling at St. Mary’s.
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Hide AdNext up, Chelsea head to north London to take on Tottenham Hotspur in what should be another high adrenaline encounter. Last season, the same fixture saw the Blues steamroll their way to a 4-1 win away from home, as some trademark kamikaze defending from the hosts allowed Nicolas Jackson to pick up a hat-trick in an enthralling evening of Premier League football.
Ahead of Chelsea’s encounter with Ange Postecoglu’s Jekyll and Hyde side, we’ve rounded up the latest Blues team news and had a crack at predicting Maresca’s starting XI.
Goalkeepers
Robert Sanchez was dropped for the Blues’ aforementioned midweek rout against the Saints, with Filip Jorgensen starting in goal instead. The Scandinavian stopper did a fine job between the sticks, making three saves during the course of the match.
Maresca made it clear in a pre-match interview on last night’s televised coverage that he’s eager to “share minutes” as he looks to keep his well-stocked squad involved, which suggests Jorgensen’s inclusion was more a rotation move rather than permanently stripping Sanchez of the number one spot.
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Spurs have shown their fearsome attacking firepower throughout the early stages of the season, and you’d expect Maresca to limit the experimentation when it comes to his back four on Sunday afternoon.
Reece James’ frustrating spell at the club continues - some have, quite incredibly, called for the Champions League winner to be sold amid his injury struggles, but he’ll be right back at it in the new year. Elsewhere, it’s a similar story for Wesley Fofana, who injured his hamstring in last weekend’s win over Aston Villa.
Expect to see a central defence pairing of Levi Colwill and Benoit Badiashile, while the excellent Marc Cucurella - supposed aficionado of both Estrella and paella - will look to continue his revival at left-back.
The big question is whether Maresca keeps Malo Gusto at right-back, or opts to field Moises Caicedo in the unfamiliar position again after he impressed there against Villa.
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When it comes to their midfield, Chelsea have the luxury of a clean bill of health, with more options to choose from than an all-you-can-eat buffet. The current ownership’s transfer strategy has proved divisive to stay the least, but they finally look to be reaping the benefits as the Blues can sail through the packed festive fixture list with some of the strongest rotation options in the Premier League.
Romeo Lavia and Pedro Neto were both rested on Wednesday evening, so expect to see them back in the starting eleven on Sunday.
Striker
The most transferred in player on Fantasy Premier League - speaking of which, if you happen to find yourself here on an FPL scouting mission, do take a look at our expert’s rather terrific guide to Gameweek 15 - was Nicolas Jackson ahead of Gameweek 14. A few hundred thousand managers were rubbing their hands with glee ahead of the rampant Blues squaring off against Southampton’s notoriously porous back line.
Maresca only went and played Christopher Nkunku instead, and was repaid for his leap of faith as the Frenchman both scored and made an assist. Despite maintaining his title of Chelsea’s top scorer across all competitions so far this season, Jackson looks highly likely to lead the line again on Sunday.
Chelsea predicted XI: Sanchez; Caicedo, Colwill, Badiashile, Cucurella; Lavia, Enzo; Neto, Palmer, Madueke; Jackson.
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