Chelsea will be looking to get back to winning ways on Christmas Day when they welcome local rivals Fulham to Stamford Bridge.
A frustrating 0-0 draw with Everton allowed Liverpool to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table and while manager Enzo Maresca may claim he doesn’t care about a title race, he will certainly be keen to get three more points to help consolidate their place in the championship. race for European football.
Here’s how the boss might set it up for this one.
GK: Robert Sánchez – Sánchez was at his best to take a point against Everton and certainly deserves the chance to replicate that performance.
RB: Bad flight – Expect Gusto to return to the right side of defense and take Axel Disasi’s place under fire.
CB: Tosin Adarabioyo – His unreal block to deny Iliman Ndiaye was Chelsea’s highlight in the Everton game. The former Fulham man will hope to climb further up the pecking order with a similar display here.
CB: Levi Colwill – With Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile out until 2025Colwill will have to build a relationship with Tosin over the next few weeks.
LB: Marc Cucurella – Cucurella has served his one match ban and will be a welcome addition to Chelsea’s defence.
DM: Enzo Fernández – Fernandez’s hot form may have caught on against Everton, but he has been good enough recently to deserve the chance to get things right.
DM: Moises Caicedo – Will this finally be the game Caicedo won’t be penalized for a perfectly clean challenge?
RM: Pedro Neto – The subject of a strange wave of criticism after the Everton game, Neto will be hoping to start again here after Noni Madueke’s underwhelming cameo from the bench.
AM: Cole Palmer – Palmer was silent against Everton and will need to be at their best to prevent Fulham from replicating the Toffees’ defensive tactics.
LM: Jadon Sancho – Does Maresca trust Joao Felix or Christopher Nkunku? Sancho doesn’t exactly deserve to be sacked, but there certainly aren’t many other options to turn things around after Everton’s slump.
ST: Nicolas Jackson – Jackson could only watch in horror as his close-range effort bounced off the Everton post at the weekend. He’ll be desperate to recover in style here.
