Chelsea’s USA pre-season tour was one to forget. After conceding 12 goals in five games, the Blues fell to an underwhelming 1-1-3 record. With a return to Stamford Bridge on the cards, Maresca’s men will be hoping to rejuvenate their form in their last match before the Premier League season. Here is our Chelsea predicted lineup for the match with Italian champions Inter Milan.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup Vs Inter Milan
How Chelsea Have Lined Up Recently
Throughout the USA pre-season tour, some notable mainstays have solidified their spots in the starting lineup thus far. Arguably the two most impressive of them all have been Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia. Nkunku emerged as Chelsea’s new focal point in attack, scoring three goals in five games while showcasing numerous moments of individual brilliance. Similarly, Lavia hit the ground running with metronomic displays in the defensive midfield role.
Other notable mainstays include the fullback duo Reece James and Malo Gusto. James has featured as both a right centre-half and in an inverted role, while Malo Gusto impressed in his recent cameos as a left-sided inverted fullback.
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Forwards Noni Madueke and Marc Guiu started all but one game throughout the tour. Madueke improved, picking up four goal contributions, and Guiu’s impressive performances make a strong claim for him not to be loaned out. Additionally, centre-half Levi Colwill and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez appear to have solidified themselves as first-choice options after starting all but one game, too.
Other than that, there’s been plenty of rotation considering the late arrival of some players and fitness issues. Some notable players that have also featured include Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Chelsea’s Recent Form and Tactics
As mentioned earlier, Chelsea’s form has been nothing short of disappointing. Although glimpses of positive takeaways can be had, Chelsea’s 1-1-3 pre-season record is unacceptable for a club of such prestige, even if it is “just pre-season”.
The manner in which Chelsea have lost is cause for extra concern, too. Two of Chelsea’s losses came from conceding four goals in one game, and the loss against Madrid wasn’t nearly as competitive as the 2-1 scoreline suggests. Furthermore, Chelsea even failed to beat League One side Wrexham despite the gulf in quality.
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On the ball, Chelsea’s tactics have been one of the few bright spots of the pre-season. Maresca’s team are consistently able to create chances even in their most disappointing of losses. However, there’s still plenty of work to do off the ball. Chelsea’s high line and incohesive press led to numerous threats on goal, which Maresca has addressed on multiple occasions.
Chelsea Injuries To Consider
Despite undergoing hamstring surgery to reduce his injury woes, James picked up yet another hamstring injury during training. He is expected to be sidelined for around a month, but reports suggest that it’s only a minor injury.
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After a slightly extended period of rehabilitating from an ankle injury, Nicolas Jackson will likely get his first minutes of the pre-season against Inter. Axel Disasi is also close to getting back on the pitch following a hernia surgery.
Other recent absentees who will be returning to the Blues include Euro 2024 finalists Marc Cucurella and Cole Palmer. Although they aren’t recovering from injury, their brief time spent with Maresca leaves question marks over how much they will feature against Inter.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup
GK: Robert Sanchez
RB: Malo Gusto
CB: Wesley Fofana
CB: Levi Colwill
LB: Marc Cucurella
DM: Romeo Lavia
CM: Enzo Fernandez
CM: Cole Palmer
RW: Noni Madueke
ST: Marc Guiu
LW: Christopher Nkunku
