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Chelsea full 20-man squad vs Newcastle revealed with Moises Caicedo decision and Nkunku blow
Chelsea news as Mauricio Pochettino starts to get a selection dilemma with returning injured players
Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo
Moises Caicedo arrived back late from international duty
Mauricio Pochettino is getting close to being able to select from a fully fit group of players. Even though the Blues’ manager still has six players out injured it is the best state of affairs since the season began.
With Trevoh Chalobah out of the squad and likely to depart he is not currently a major miss but there are some key names approaching a return that could have a massive impact on the rest of the campaign. In Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia there are two players expected to have a giant say in how things had gone so far but long-term blows to them both has left the options depleted.
Despite a massive transfer spend once more Pochettino has at times this year been turning to two goalkeepers on the bench and a host of academy hopefuls as well. Now that the core of his team is available it gives him strength in depth to turn to mid-game as well as variety in choice from the start as well.
Against Newcastle, this will be even more valuable with Eddie Howe’s side struggling for numbers themselves. The Magpies could be in a position that Pochettino was landed in after the September international break, with over 11 players missing.
Luckily for the Blues boss, the time away from domestic action was a largely positive one for his players. Reece James rested and trained at Cobham after backing out of the England squad, Levi Colwill recovered from a shoulder injury in Surrey too after being ruled out of the Manchester City battle. Malo Gusto withdrew from the France Under-21 team himself with a knock. None of these appear to be an issue though.
“Now we need to assess,” Pochettino said on Friday when quizzed for the latest updates on his squad’s fitness. “They already know the starting XI for tomorrow but I’m not going to make it public. I think all arrive in a normal condition. Already picked the starting XI. I will give to you tomorrow.”
One player that isn’t certain but was available two weeks ago is Moises Caicedo. He played for Ecuador on Wednesday morning, not arriving back in training until Friday. It leaves him with a small recovery period as well as a long journey to the north east without the time to prepare for what promises to be an intense game.
Caicedo was missing from the team that drew 0-0 with Bournemouth over eight weeks ago after coming back from duty with a niggle and may well be rested from the start here in order to keep himself safe. The 22-year-old is the only player facing fresh problems though after the rest of the group returned in good health.
Both Conor Gallagher and Cole Palmer played for England but came through unscathed whilst Enzo Fernandez was in action for Argentina in South America in some extremely high-pressure environments. Axel Disasi was away with France’s senior side but found himself relatively untested, Thiago Silva took time off to go to Brazil for relaxation rather than football – again.
Pochettino himself went abroad, spending time in Barcelona which he often frequents, especially for some winter sun as the clouds and nights draw in quicker and longer in England. The team has had time off in the most and comes into the game high on confidence and all but Caicedo arrive with certainty
Under a manager not known for lavish rotation or over-tinkering, if any tinkering, the squad he will pick seems near enough simple to pick. Here, football.london has predicted the most likely outcome.
Goalkeepers: Rob Sanchez, Djorde Petrovic
Defenders: Reece James, Thiago Silva, Axel Disasi, Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile, Malo Gusto, Marc Cucurella, Ian Maatsen
Midfielders: Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Conor Gallagher, Lesley Ugochukwu
Attackers: Raheem Sterling, Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer, Mykhailo Mudryk, Armando Broja, Noni Madueke
Sports News
Michael Carrick singles out one Chelsea player following the 6-1 defeat, but the national media disagrees
Chelsea smashed six goals past the Championship team as they booked their spot in next month’s Carabao Cup final.
The Blues trailed 1-0 from the first-leg, but the Premier League side made no mistake in Tuesday’s second-leg.
Chelsea took the lead through a Jonny Howson own-goal, with Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi and Cole Palmer scoring before the break.
Palmer bagged his second goal of the night to add his side’s fifth as Noni Madueke completed the rout.
After the match, Manchester United legend Carrick spoke glowingly about Palmer, calling him a ‘real talent’ in high praise.
“He is a real talent. Nice lad as well. Down to Earth and you can see when you come up against him he will go on to have a great career. It’s not nice when you are on the end of it but we can appreciate and respect how good he is,” he said via The Mirror.
Mauricio Pochettino echoed Carrick’s sentiment and hailed the 21-year-old’s ability to play anywhere in the forward line.
“He is a player with an amazing talent. It is a player that understands the game. He has the quality and the talent to see the situation and to read the game in another aspect,” he added.
“He can play from the right, striker or in behind the striker. We try to give him freedom because in this type of game he can find the best position to help the team. For me, [the best part] is when he presses and then the intuition to get the ball back.”
Palmer, who joined the Stamford Bridge outfit from Manchester City last summer, has been in brilliant form this season, scoring 11 goals in all competitions.
However, the national media picked out another Chelsea star as Matt Law of The Telegraph wrote about Ben Chilwell’s importance.
“What a difference a left-back makes. This was not just Ben Chilwell’s first start since September, it was the first time he started in his preferred position all season,” he said.
“And how Chelsea have missed him. Wearing the captain’s armband, Chilwell looked like he had never been away and sent a message to Mauricio Pochettino to give up on playing him as a winger.”
Chilwell started his first game for four months as he starred on the left-hand side in Chelsea’s victory over Boro.
The 27-year-old has only managed nine appearances in all competitions this season, having been blighted with injuries.
Sports News
Victor Osimhen breaks silence on his future amid Chelsea and Arsenal striker transfer hunt
The latest Chelsea and Arsenal transfer news as the striker has been linked with a move to the Premier League after impressing for Napoli.
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has said that his full concentration is on helping Nigeria go as far as they can in the Africa Cup of Nations amid talk over his future.
Arsenal and Chelsea are among the teams to have been linked with an interest in the 25-year-old. football.london understands that Chelsea wanted to sign Osimhen in the summer , but Napoli’s reluctance to part ways with the player meant that attention was turned to Nicolas Jackson instead.
Mikel Arteta is likely to want to add to his striking options when the summer transfer window opens. Osimhen has been touted as a potential target.
The striker’s contract with Napoli expires in 2025, meaning that the summer could be one of the last chances that Napoli have to get a decent fee for the player if he doesn’t sign a new deal with the club. That has led to speculation that he could be on the move sooner rather than later.
Osimhen is currently on international duty with Nigeria who have secured their place in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations. It’s while representing his country that he addressed the talk over his future.
“I have to respect my contract,” he told the Guardian. “Whatever happens in the summer everybody will know. For now I am at the Afcon and I am focused on that.”
Osimhem’s goalscoring record for Napoli makes it no surprise that he continues to be linked with a transfer away from the club. Since joining from Lille in the summer of 2020 he has scored 67 times in 119 appearances for the club.
So far this season, he has scored eight times in 18 appearances in all competitions. The striker’s international record is even more impressive with him finding the net 20 times in 27 appearances for Nigeria, including the equaliser in the nation’s 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in their opening AFCON game.
Sports News
Chelsea’s next five fixtures compared to Man United, Tottenham and Aston Villa in top four race
The latest Chelsea news as we take a closer look at the fixtures on the horizon for Mauricio Pochettino’s men as they look to climb the Premier League table.
Chelsea booked their place in the Carabao Cup final on Tuesday night as they came from behind to comfortably beat Championship side Millwall.
Michael Carrick’s side were leading 1-0 after the first leg at the Riverside Stadium, but Chelsea quickly settled any nerves that may have been around in the stands at Stamford Bridge. An early own goal by Jonny Howson was followed by strikes from Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi, and Cole Palmer to put Chelsea 4-0 up on the night at half time.
It got better in the second half as Palmer scored his second of the game before Noni Madueke made it 6-0. Middlesbrough grabbed a consolation through Morgan Rogers in the 88th minute.
After booking their place at Wembley eyes now turn to the upcoming fixtures in both the Cup and the Premier League. Chelsea sit in ninth place in the table, 12 points off a top-four spot, a good run of form could see that gap quickly close before the end of the season.
As well as fixtures ahead of Chelsea, eyes could be on who others around them in the table are taking on. With that in mind football.london has taken a look at the next five fixtures coming up for Chelsea and the other clubs looking towards the top four and the European places.
Aston Villa (H) 26 January (FA Cup)
Liverpool (A) January 31
The most difficult fixture of the run, on paper, with Liverpool currently leading the Premier League table. Jurgen Klopp’s side are four points clear of Man City in second, but Pep Guardiola’s team do have a game in hand.
The reverse fixture back in August finished in a 1-1 draw. Axel Disasi equalised in the first half after Luis Diaz’s opener.
Wolves (H) February 4
Chelsea don’t have long to wait to try and avenge the Boxing Day loss against Wolves. Goals from Mario Lemina and Matt Doherty saw the Blues fall to a 2-1 loss with Christopher Nkunku grabbing a 96th-minute goal.
Wolves have been praised for their performances under Gary O’Neil so far this season. They sit in 11th place, three points behind Chelsea in the table.
Crystal Palace (A) February 12
Crystal Palace are a team struggling to find their form with pressure growing on manager Roy Hodgson. They fell to a 5-0 loss against Arsenal in their last outing, leaving them in 15th place in the Premier League table, five points clear of the bottom three.
Noni Madueke’s 89th-minute penalty saw Chelsea come out as 2-1 winners in the reverse fixture on December 27.
Man City (A) February 17
Another difficult game on paper for Chelsea as Man City look to close the gap on Liverpool at the top of the table. The reverse fixture back in November was a memorable one for fans of both clubs as well as neutrals.
Cole Palmer’s 97th-minute penalty saw the game end in a 4-4 draw. Chelsea came from behind on three occasions to take a point.
Manchester United fixtures (current position 8th, 32 points)
Newport County (A) 28 January (FA Cup)
Wolves (A) 1 February
West Ham (H) 4 February
Aston Villa (A) 11 February
Luton Town (A) 18 February
Brighton fixtures (current position 7th, 32 points)
Sheffield United (A) 27 January (FA Cup)
Luton Town (A) 30 January
Crystal Palace (H) 3 February
Tottenham (A) 10 February
Sheffield United (A) 18 February
West Ham fixtures (current position 6th, 35 points)
Bournemouth (H) 1 February
Man United (A) 4 February
Arsenal (H) 11 February
Nottingham Forest (A) 17 February
Brentford (H) 26 February
Tottenham fixtures (current position 5th, 40 points)
Man City (H) 26 January (FA Cup)
Brentford (H) 31 January
Everton (A) 3 February
Brighton (H) 10 February
Wolves (H) 17 February
Aston Villa fixtures (current position 4th, 43 points)
Chelsea (A) 26 January (FA Cup)
Newcastle (H) 30 January
Sheffield United (A) 3 February
Man United (H) 11 February
Fulham (A) 17 February
Michael Carrick singles out one Chelsea player following the 6-1 defeat, but the national media disagrees
Victor Osimhen breaks silence on his future amid Chelsea and Arsenal striker transfer hunt
Chelsea’s next five fixtures compared to Man United, Tottenham and Aston Villa in top four race
Confirmed Chelsea line up vs Newcastle : Palmer, Jackson, Sterling Start as Nkunku seat on the bench
