Chelsea will be looking to extend their unbeaten streak to five games across all competitions when they take on Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.
The Blues head into this weekend’s contest on the back of an emphatic 5-0 victory over fourth-tier side Barrow in the third round of the EFL Cup.
Before the five-star rout, Chelsea picked up back-to-back away wins against Bournemouth and West Ham United in the Premier League.
Maresca’s heavily rotated line-up got the job done in emphatic fashion, but we expect the Italian to make wholesale changes to the XI for a tricky test against Brighton.
How Chelsea could line up vs Brighton
Maresca rang the changes for the midweek contest against Barrow, leveraging his big squad to punch a ticket to the fourth round, but he’s expected to bring out the big guns this weekend.
Robert Sanchez has enjoyed a decent start to the season, keeping two clean sheets in five Premier League games and should replace Filip Jorgensen between the sticks.
Malo Gusto only played the first half against Barrow but set up Christopher Nkunku’s second goal, and he should retain his place in the starting line-up against Brighton.
Maresca has been full of praise for both Tosin Adarabioyo and Wesley Fofana. However, the former could be preferred against Brighton while Marc Cucurella faces his former employers from left-back.
Romeo Lavia has returned to the fold and is available for selection after shaking off a hamstring injury.
However, he’s more likely to start on the bench, with Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez set to continue their partnership at the base of the midfield.
Jadon Sancho is still waiting for his first Chelsea goal but already has two assists to his name. He’ll line up alongside Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke in the attacking areas.
Nkunku gave Maresca plenty to think about after bagging a hat-trick in midweek, but Nicolas Jackson’s brace against West Ham should be enough for him to keep his spot in the XI.
Predicted XI: Sanchez; Cucurella, Colwill, Adarabioyo, Gusto; Caicedo, Fernandez; Sancho, Palmer, Madueke; Jackson.