December 5th 2024.
Nkunku was the hero of the midweek game, scoring a crucial goal for Chelsea. However, his spot in the starting lineup for the upcoming match against Tottenham is not guaranteed. Chelsea will have another opportunity to prove themselves as serious contenders for the Premier League title in this weekend's highly-anticipated London derby.
While the media has been focused on Manchester City's recent struggles, Chelsea has been quietly impressing with their thrilling performances. They are currently in second place, tied on points with Arsenal and seven points behind league leaders Liverpool. Enzo Maresca, the Chelsea coach, has been rotating his starting lineup for the midweek European games and this strategy has paid off well. In the last game against Southampton, he made seven changes and the team cruised to a 5-1 victory, with Christopher Nkunku among the goal scorers.
Although Nicolas Jackson was given a break for the midweek game, he is expected to return to the starting lineup for the Tottenham match. He has a history of performing well against Tottenham, scoring a hat-trick against them last season. Noni Madueke has been a consistent member of Maresca's attacking unit this season, but the coach publicly criticized him for not giving his best in the last game. Despite scoring and starting in the game against Southampton, Madueke was dropped from the squad last weekend due to his lack of effort after scoring or assisting a goal.
In other news, Levi Colwill was also rested for the midweek game and is likely to return to the starting lineup this weekend. However, there is no clear timeline for Wesley Fofana's return after he was forced off the field in the last game against Aston Villa. Maresca's comments suggest that Fofana may not play for the rest of the year, but Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Aarabioyo have proven to be reliable replacements. In addition, Axel Disasi played the full 90 minutes in the league for the first time this season in the midweek game.
As for the upcoming match against Tottenham, Reece James will still be on the sidelines due to a recent hamstring injury. The predicted starting lineup for Chelsea includes Sanchez, Gusto, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella, Fernandez, Caicedo, Neto, Palmer, Sancho, and Jackson. Fans can catch the game live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event, or stream it on Sky Go or NOW TV. The game is scheduled to kick off at 4:30pm on Sunday, December 8th.
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