Chelsea will aim to continue the recent unbeaten run when they welcome Burnley to Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon. Liam Rosenior has no new issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Filip Jorgensen (muscular), Marc Cucurella (hamstring), Dario Essugo (thigh), and Romeo Lavia (match fitness) are closing in on returning from their fitness issues. However, Saturday’s game has come too soon for the quartet.
Meanwhile, Levi Colwill (knee) and Jamie Gittens (hamstring) are long-term absentees. Additionally, Mykhailo Mudryk continues his suspension after failing a doping test several months ago. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Rosenior provided fitness updates on Cole Palmer, Reece James, and Marc Cucurella.
The Chelsea head coach said, “I can’t give an exact timeframe on Marc. He suffered a hamstring injury just before half-time in the Leeds game. It’s a real shame because he’s an outstanding player, and one of the best left-backs in the world. It’s a shame not to have Marc available but we have Jorrel [Hato] and we have Malo [Gusto] who can play on that side, so we have really good players that can cover.”
“Of course, the sooner Marc gets back, the better. With Reece and Cole, it’s based on day by day. In fact, it’s not just those two but how each player feels. At the moment they [Palmer and James] are both fully fit and both available for selection. They both trained really well today and with those two players, having them in the team makes us a really strong side.”
Robert Sanchez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Burnley on Saturday. The backline will feature Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, and Jorrel Hato.
As for the midfield unit, Andrey Santos and Moises Caicedo will pair up in the double pivot, with Enzo Fernandez reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Joao Pedro will lead the line for the home side against Burnley, with Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer completing the numbers in the offensive unit. So, Estevao Willian, Alejandro Garnacho, and Liam Delap will be among the backup options on the bench.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Sanchez; James, Fofana, Chalobah, Hato; Santos, Caicedo; Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, Neto; Joao Pedro
