Chelsea’s tumultuous pre-season continues with a clash against Mexican side Club America. Following a dramatic 4-1 defeat to Celtic in their last preseason game, Chelsea are still looking for their first victory under new manager Enzo Maresca. Here is our Chelsea predicted lineup for their third pre-season game of their USA tour.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup Vs Club America
How Chelsea Have Lined Up Recently
Maresca made a few notable changes from his first match, against Celtic. Namely, 23-year-old Wesley Fofana earned a start at right centre-half while Ukranian winger Mykhailo Mudryk started at left-wing. Fofana’s comeback to starting fitness was encouraging after missing the entirety of Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure from an ACL tear, but his unassured performance at the back, left many fans unimpressed. Likewise, Mudryk’s inability to significantly influence the attack was underwhelming.
Robert Sanchez started in goal and had a volatile 90 minutes. Despite the 4-1 scoreline, Sanchez made many key saves to prevent further calamity. However, he also gave the ball away frequently in possession which is a fatal flaw in Maresca’s system.
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Club captain Reece James once again led the team from right-back while Benoit Badiashile and Levi Colwill kept their spots along the backline. Badiashile in particular had an afternoon to forget after gifting Celtic their third goal of the game from a sloppy giveaway.
A midfield three of Romeo Lavia, Christopher Nkunku, and Carney Chukwuemeka maintained their spots in the starting lineup alongside Marc Guiu and Noni Madueke. Nkunku scored for a second consecutive game while Guiu continued to show promise as one of Chelsea’s best-performing players this pre-season.
Chelsea’s Recent Form and Tactics
After months of ascending anticipation for this new-look Chelsea squad, the Blues are currently on a pre-season tour to forget. They opened their account with an underwhelming 2-2 draw to Wrexham before being dominated by Celtic in a brutal 4-1 defeat.
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Maresca’s tactics haven’t been convincing either. His extremely high backline proved to be far too vulnerable against Celtic after conceding numerous quality chances, and the team’s lack of stability during transition is a cause for concern.
However, it’s worth noting that this is only preseason. The squad still has to return to full fitness and many players are coming back from long-term injuries. Considering Maresca’s position as a new manager, it will also take a considerable amount of time for the players to learn his new tactics and apply them on the pitch. As a result, fans should expect a volatile showing in preseason fixtures.
Chelsea Injuries to Consider
Chelsea’s injured contingent is gradually decreasing throughout the preseason tour. In his press conference for the upcoming match, Maresca revealed that Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall will feature after coming back from injury. Nicolas Jackson is also set to return from an ankle injury for the match against Real Madrid on August 6.
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Axel Disasi is still rehabilitating from a hernia surgery similar to the one that Enzo Fernandez underwent at the end of Pochettino’s campaign. Furthermore, Fernandez recently joined back with the team from his international break but isn’t expected to feature until regaining match fitness.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup
GK: Robert Sanchez
RB: Reece James
CB: Wesley Fofana
CB: Benoit Badiashile
LB: Levi Colwill
DM: Romeo Lavia
CM: Carney Chukwuemeka
CM: Christopher Nkunku
RW: Noni Madueke
ST: Marc Guiu
LW: Myhailo Mudryk
