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The predicted Chelsea line-up for this afternoon's trip to the Vitality Stadium as the Blues return to Premier League action against Bournemouth, with Enzo Maresca facing some tough decisions
After what turned out to be nothing short of a disaster at Leeds United on Wednesday night, Chelsea return to Premier League action this afternoon away at Bournemouth.
One of the few positives about having such a hectic fixture schedule is that the Blues have the opportunity to put things right later on today down on the south coast. The Chelsea players and staff will not have had too much time to reflect on what happened at Elland Road earlier in the week as they step up their preparations for this afternoon's clash at the Vitality Stadium.
Enzo Maresca made five changes to his side in Leeds from the XI that started against Arsenal just a few days before. One was forced with Moises Caicedo missing through suspension, and the others were to try and manage the work load of others in Chelsea's first match of an extremely busy December period.
Maresca believed he still had enough on the pitch to get a positive result in Yorkshire, though that transpired not to be the case. So, what will the Chelsea head coach do for this afternoon's crucial game? Bobby Vincent discusses below:
Robert Sanchez
Not an easy night for Sanchez in Leeds. His distribution, which has been pretty spot on in recent weeks, took a turn for the worse at Elland Road. There is no doubt, however, that the Spanish goalkeeper starts at the Vitality this afternoon.
Malo Gusto
Chelsea started without an out-and-out right-back in Yorkshire, with Maresca looking to give the likes of Gusto and James a rest. Gusto, though, was called upon at half-time and the Blues looked much better defensively as a result. The Frenchman could return to the defence this afternoon.
Wesley Fofana
Fofana was left behind while his teammates travelled to Leeds, but that was purely to do with managing the defender's work load. The centre-back has been in fine recent form and Chelsea will need another top performance from him down on the south coast.
Trevoh Chalobah
A shaky first-half in Leeds, with Chalobah playing at right-back, but once he moved into a more central position, he looked much better for it. Chalobah and Fofana have formed a solid partnership in recent weeks and will be hoping for that to be present this afternoon.
Jorrel Hato
Since the return from international football, Marc Cucurella has played every minute of football for Chelsea. At some point, he is going to need a rest, and that would point towards Hato starting, though the Dutch defender has not featured since a mistake-ridden performance in Azerbaijan a month ago.
Reece James
James played no part on Wednesday night with Maresca looking to manage his captain's minutes, which means he is a shoo-in to start this afternoon in Bournemouth. Chelsea will be hoping having someone with the defensive ability of James in there will be able to nullify the threat the Cherries pose in transition.
Enzo Fernandez
A disappointing showing in Leeds for Fernandez, but rarely does the Argentine midfielder drop out of the side. More often than not this season, Fernandez has been superb for the Blues, so he - and everyone else involved - will be hoping it was just a blip in midweek.
Pedro Neto
Wednesday night was the first Premier League game of the season that Neto did not start. It was telling the impact he made when he was called upon at half-time. Do not expect too many other games where Maresca does not use the Portugal winger from the start.
Cole Palmer
Surely now is the time. Palmer made his first appearance in more than two months for Chelsea in their defeat at Leeds this week, coming on for the last 30-or-so minutes. There was an element of rust - as to be expected - from Palmer, but the only way to get rid of that is by to keep getting minutes.
Alejandro Garnacho
Garnacho was one of the few bright sparks for the Blues on Wednesday. On at the same time as Palmer, the former Manchester United winger looked lively on the left-hand side for the visitors - and more likely than anyone to make something happen.
Joao Pedro
More is needed from Joao Pedro. He has been disappointing in his last few appearances, which is a shame because he looked as if he was returning to form before that. The Brazil international, though, is likely to keep his place in the side given he has started every single Premier League game thus far this season.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; James, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Garnacho; Joao Pedro.
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