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Liam Rosenior has some really tough decisions to make ahead of this evening's trip down to the Amex Stadium, with Chelsea taking on Brighton in the Premier League
Simply put, Chelsea cannot afford to lose any more ground on Liverpool in the race for Champions League qualification.
The Blues can't do that tonight, as they travel to Brighton, but if they were to lose and the Reds were to beat Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, then last season's champions would be 10 points clear with four matches remaining. Chelsea need to do the business at the Amex Stadium - there cannot be any excuses.
Liam Rosenior said as much on Monday afternoon in his pre-match press conference. The Chelsea head coach needs to get his team selection perfect and get his Blues side scoring again. How he does that remains to be seen, but football.london predicts the line-up he will choose this evening.
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Robert Sanchez
Sanchez is one of many Chelsea players returning to the Amex this evening. He might be busy with Brighton possessing some dangerous attacking players.
Malo Gusto
Reece James remains unavailable as the Chelsea captain continues his recovery from a hamstring injury. Gusto is set to continue at right-back, with Josh Acheampong expected to be an option from the bench once again.
Trevoh Chalobah
The Cobham graduate returned to action on Saturday, making a cameo appearance from the bench in the defeat to Man United. If Rosenior deems Chalobah fit enough for the trip down to Brighton, then he could return to the side in place of Wesley Fofana, whose performance levels have not been up to scratch recently.
Jorrel Hato
Hato is one man who definitely doesn't deserve to be dropped from the side. The Netherlands international has flourished in recent weeks, while others around him have been doing the opposite.
Marc Cucurella
Ever since he made those controversial comments last month, Cucurella has not been up to his usual level. It is a slight concern but coming up against his former club, at a stadium where he is booed throughout the game, you would back the left-back to raise his game.
Romeo Lavia
It was a tad surprising not to see Lavia from the start on Saturday night. The Belgian could return to the centre of midfield this evening. Andrey Santos is another option for Rosenior to consider.
Moises Caicedo
It appears Caicedo is now Chelsea's vice-captain following the controversy surrounding Enzo Fernandez recently. The former Brighton midfielder is set to wear the armband once again in James' absence.
Cole Palmer
With Estevao Willian set to be missing for at least a few games, Palmer could be shifted out to the right-hand side at the Amex. Chelsea need Palmer to find some sort of form if they are to stand any chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
Enzo Fernandez
Fernandez could be moved up the field slightly into the No.10 role with Estevao unavailable. The Argentina international was bright in the defeat to Man United but would love to put in an even better performance for the Blues tonight.
Pedro Neto
Without doubt Chelsea's brightest attacker in Saturday's defeat to United. Neto put some really dangerous crosses in and at least a couple of them deserved an assist for the Portugal international. He could be asked to go again on the left wing, with Alejandro Garnacho failing to impress off the bench at the weekend.
Joao Pedro
Rosenior said yesterday afternoon that Joao Pedro will face a late fitness test this morning. The Brazil international, who is Chelsea's top goal scorer this season, missed Saturday's match with a minor thigh problem. If he is ready to go, there is no doubting Rosenior would throw him in against the club he left last summer.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Hato, Cucurella; Lavia, Caicedo; Palmer, Fernandez, Neto; Joao Pedro
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