A heavily rotated Chelsea side fell to defeat to Legia Warsaw in the UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final second leg on Thursday but progressed to the final four on aggregate nonetheless. The Blues are back in action in the Premier League today against Fulham at Craven Cottage in the West London Derby.
Chelsea could move back into the top five with a win depending on Nottingham Forest’s result against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday, so Enzo Maresca will know how important the match may be with Champions League qualification in mind. He is likely to deploy his starting eleven and here is how the team could look.
Goalkeeper – Robert Sanchez could replace Filip Jorgensen in between the sticks after the latter played on Thursday.
Defenders – Chelsea might make three changes to their back four with Marc Cucurella the only one expected to retain his spot at left back. At right back, Malo Gusto might come into the team, while the central defenders for the Fulham game are likely to be Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah.
Caicedo and Fernandez in midfield
Midfielders – Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo have been two of Chelsea’s most important players this season and with either of them absent, they have looked shaky when the opposition transitions from defence to offence. The South Americans are expected to feature in the double pivot against Fulham.
Cole Palmer, on the other hand, could keep his place as the number 10 as he looks to regain his form. The English international could have Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke on either side with the two players set to feature on the left and right flanks, respectively.
Forward – Nicolas Jackson played just one half of the Legia Warsaw match after starting. The Senegalese may round off Enzo Maresca’s starting eleven by leading the line.
Here is how the Blues are likely to look on paper.
