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Chelsea have one more push until the second international break of the season. Over the course of the next eight days (writing this on Friday), the Blues will play three times, with a Champions League match sandwiched between two Premier League fixtures.
First up is Brighton at Stamford Bridge, before two more home games against Benfica and Liverpool. Once these three games are out of the way, it will bring to an end a 22-day period that had seven matches for Chelsea - and now we are past the halfway point, squad rotation remains crucial.
Enzo Maresca has plenty of fitness concerns in his squad. Cole Palmer limped off just 20 minutes into Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester United last weekend with a groin injury he has been struggling with over the last month.
The 23-year-old had a late fitness test on the day of the game at Old Trafford and told Chelsea staff he was okay to play. However, it did not last long for Palmer and Chelsea will surely be wary of risking him again in similar circumstances.
We are expecting to hear more on Palmer from Maresca in Friday’s pre-Brighton press conference, but even if he is fit enough to play, Chelsea may err on the side of caution when it comes to their star attacking player.
Replacing Palmer is a tricky one. Nobody can really replace a player at that level, but Maresca will be trying his best to do that if he is not fit enough for the visit of the Seagulls on Saturday afternoon.
Unfortunately, loanee Facundo Buonanotte is ineligible due to the match being against his parent club. This would have been the ideal match for the 20-year-old Argentine, who scored his first goal for the Blues in Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup third round victory away at Lincoln City.
There could be scope for Joao Pedro to slot into the No.10 role, with Tyrique George, who scored and assisted against Lincoln, continuing as the false nine. Joao Pedro, though, is not 100% fit, with he and Moises Caicedo not being in peak condition since returning from the most recent international break.
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The South American duo, though, are two of Chelsea’s most crucial players and could well be risked at Stamford Bridge.
There remains a dilemma on the left wing. Jamie Gittens is yet to get going since signing over the summer, while Alejandro Garnacho is still not in prime condition.
Pedro Neto has often been used on the left-hand side and that could continue on Saturday, with Estevao Willian on the opposite wing in SW6.
Enzo Fernandez is expected to continue in midfield after being brought off at around 70 minutes in Lincoln. As mentioned above, Caicedo is set to come back into the midfield for the Blues against his former employers.
Marc Cucurella, too, is expected to come in against his old club, while Reece James could return on the other side of defence in place of Malo Gusto.
Trevoh Chalobah is likely to keep his place at the heart of the back four for Chelsea, while Wesley Fofana will surely be handed a rest after back-to-back starts at Man United and Lincoln. Tosin Adarabioyo could return alongside Chalobah, while Robert Sanchez is set to replace Filip Jorgensen after the Spanish goalkeeper served his one-match suspension in the Carabao Cup third round tie earlier in the week.
Below is the team Maresca might be tempted to use. Those in bold are the only ones that retain their place in the side from the win in Lincolnshire.
Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Tosin, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Estevao, Joao Pedro, Neto; George.
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