Chelsea Recent Form & Tactics
Enzo Maresca has stuck with his 4-2-3-1 setup that shifts in possession to overload the middle. He tends to aim for a diamond midfield either with one member of the pivot moving to the attacking midfield spot with the attacking midfielder, or with a wide player tucking in as the full-back occupies space. There’s also the Cucurella x-factor as he tries to underlap on the left to stretch the defenders even more and open gaps for the two attacking midfielders to crash the box. It’s a system prone to counters if they don’t get cut off early.
Mixed form recently for the Blues. Two wins, three defeats in their last five including three consecutive matches where they’ve ended with ten players due to a red card. The defensive frailties shone through as they let in three against Bayern Munich and three more against Brighton & Hove Albion. A clean sheet in midweek against Benfica provides some hope that they’ve figured things out.
Chelsea Injuries to Consider
According to PremierInjuries, the manager will be without nine different options for this one. Chalobah is serving his suspension for his red card while Mykhailo Mudryk remains suspended indefinitely. Long-term, Levi Colwill, Dario Essugo, Liam Delap, and Cole Palmer are sidelined. Santos, Fofana, and Tosin are dealing with minor issues but could be back after the international break.
