A procession was expected at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night and a procession is exactly what the Chelsea faithful enjoyed.
A 5-0 win over Barrow in the third round of the Carabao Cup extended the Blues’ winning run to four games in all competitions. Enzo Maresca’s side are purring.
Chelsea mitigated a test they’ve often failed as of late away at West Ham United last weekend, with Maresca’s side emerging as a supreme counter-attacking force. The Italian’s adaptability will once again be put to the test on Saturday as Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton & Hove Albion come to town aiming to make Seagull history. Never before have they started a top-flight season six games unbeaten.
Here’s the team Maresca could pick at the Bridge this weekend.
GK: Robert Sanchez – Sanchez looks to have found his feet in west London at the start of his second season. The Spaniard had a quiet outing as he kept another clean sheet at West Ham last weekend.
RB: Malo Gusto – The Frenchman played 45 minutes on his return from injury on Tuesday night and should be fine for another start on Saturday. His return is a big boost.
CB: Wesley Fofana – Maresca, unlike Mauricio Pochettino, has stumbled upon stability at the heart of Chelsea’s defence and Fofana will be retained in the XI.
CB: Levi Colwill – The left-footed defender has long been touted for stardom and Colwill has been superb at the start of the new season. He’s emerged as the linchpin of this Chelsea backline.
LB: Marc Cucurella – The Euro 2024 winner is the manager’s tried and trusted lieutenant at left-back. While Ben Chilwell has been re-integrated, Cucurella remains the firm number one choice.
CM: Moises Caicedo – Caicedo endured a fairly indifferent debut season, but he’s enjoyed a stellar start to 2024/25. He’s critical to Chelsea’s counter-attacking success and teed up Nicolas Jackson’s second at the London Stadium with a pinpoint through ball.
CM: Enzo Fernandez – Maresca has confirmed Romeo Lavia is back this weekend, but the former Southampton midfielder, who started the season with an excellent performance on Matchday 1, won’t be replacing Fernandez in Saturday’s XI. He should get minutes off the bench, though.
RW: Noni Madueke – The Englishman has built on an impressive season through the first month of 2024/25. There’s plenty of competition down Chelsea’s flanks, so Madueke must continue his bright form to steer clear of those below him in the depth chart.
AM: Cole Palmer – Remember the folk who said Palmer was destined to struggle under Maresca after the first weekend of the season? The England international has the talent to thrive no matter the manager on the sideline.
LW: Jadon Sancho – Back home in London and Sancho looks at total ease. He’s quickly established himself as a key figure in Maresca’s Chelsea.
ST: Nicolas Jackson – Jackson is certainly cashing in on some of the xG he squandered in year one. The Chelsea striker is keeping Christopher Nkunku out of the Premier League XI and developing a potent relationship with Palmer.
