Chelsea will be desperate to return to winning ways when they lock horns with Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Tuesday night. Liam Rosenior has received a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Estevao Willian is the latest absentee after sustaining a hamstring injury in the Premier League game against Manchester United this past weekend. The Brazilian international accompanies Filip Jorgensen (groin), Reece James (hamstring), Levi Colwill (knee), and Jamie Gittens (thigh) on the sidelines.
However, Enzo Fernandez is fit and available despite sustaining a calf injury in the game against Manchester United. Additionally, Joao Pedro faces a late fitness test to determine his availability after missing the same match due to a thigh issue. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Rosenior provided fitness updates on Colwill, Estevao, Fernandez, and Pedro.
The Chelsea head coach said, “Joao will be a late call. He was out on the pitch today, and we will make a decision on him tomorrow morning. That’s a real positive for us because he will be back sooner rather than later. Estevao is definitely out, which is a real shame and we are doing further tests into the extent of his injury.”
“Enzo is absolutely fine, he’s available. Elsewhere we have no other new news to report. Everyone is okay, even though it’s a quick turnaround from Saturday’s game to tomorrow. Very hopeful that we’ll see him [Colwill] before the end of the season. He played 60 minutes for the Under-21s, and while it was a very low-level game, getting 60 minutes was a really good start for him.”
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 Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday. The backline will feature Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, and Marc Cucurella.
As for the midfield unit, Andrey Santos should line up alongside Moises Caicedo in the double pivot, with Enzo Fernandez reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Liam Delap will lead the line for the away side against Brighton, with Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto completing the numbers in the offensive unit. So, Joao Pedro will be a backup option for the Blues in the midweek Premier League clash.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella; Caicedo, Santos; Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, Neto; Delap
