CHELSEA IN CHAOS! FULL SQUAD REVEALED FOR SOUTHAMPTON – 7 STARS OUT AND LAVIA IN LIMBO!
Chelsea are set to play their first midweek Premier League match of the season on Wednesday evening, taking on Southampton, who currently sit at the bottom of the table. After an impressive performance against Brighton, Russell Martin’s team is aiming for just their second victory of the season. However, they face a tough challenge against a Chelsea side in fine form following a dominant 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday.
For Chelsea’s head coach, Enzo Maresca, some intriguing selection decisions lie ahead for the match at St Mary’s. Throughout the season, Maresca has often opted to rotate his squad significantly for midweek games, taking advantage of easier Conference League fixtures and early Carabao Cup ties to manage player workloads. However, with Premier League games presenting greater difficulty and importance, his lineup choices are likely to come under scrutiny.
In their League Cup fourth-round clash against Newcastle—a notably tougher test for Chelsea’s secondary lineup—Maresca maintained his approach by resting key players like Cole Palmer and other Premier League regulars. Now, with Southampton on the horizon, it remains to be seen whether he will continue this strategy or make adjustments.
Chelsea’s squad appears to be split into two distinct groups, with limited overlap between those who feature in weekend matches and midweek games. Players such as Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernandez, and Benoit Badiashile have recently moved between the two groups, but it’s uncertain how many changes Maresca will implement for the trip to the south coast.
Reece James is sidelined once again due to a hamstring injury, joined by Wesley Fofana, who also sustained a hamstring issue during the win over Villa. Maresca revealed that Fofana could be out for up to five weeks. Fortunately, these are Chelsea’s only major injury concerns, leaving the rest of the squad available for selection.
Romeo Lavia, who has been carefully managed due to his injury history, may be rested again ahead of Chelsea’s weekend fixture against Tottenham. Axel Disasi could feature on the bench as defensive cover, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Cesare Casadei, and Carney Chukwuemeka may be included to round out the squad. The trio have been regulars in Conference League matches, although Chukwuemeka has struggled for consistent game time and is yet to break into the Premier League setup.
Here’s a predicted 20-man squad for the Southampton game:
Goalkeepers:
– Robert Sanchez
– Filip Jorgensen
Defenders:
– Malo Gusto
– Tosin Adarabioyo
– Levi Colwill
– Marc Cucurella
– Benoit Badiashile
– Renato Veiga
Midfielders:
– Moises Caicedo
– Enzo Fernandez
– Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
– Cesare Casadei
Attackers:
– Cole Palmer
– Nicolas Jackson
– Joao Felix
– Noni Madueke
– Pedro Neto
– Christopher Nkunku
– Mykhailo Mudryk
– Jadon Sancho
Unavailable Players:
– Reece James (hamstring)
– Wesley Fofana (hamstring)
– Romeo Lavia (rested)
– Carney Chukwuemeka
– Ben Chilwell
– Marc Guiu
– Axel Disasi
