Selecting the Chelsea Predicted Lineup against Sunderland carries extra meaning this Sunday. Sunderland won on the final day of last season’s Premier League outing and denied the Blues European football, so Xabi Alonso’s side have a clear chance to settle the score. Fourth in the Premier League under Alonso after a clinical 2-0 win over Manchester United, Chelsea are heavy favourites against the bottom-placed visitors, yet a long injury list complicates selection.
Goalkeeper and defence
Emiliano Martínez has returned to training in a protective face mask following jaw surgery, and he remains the first-choice goalkeeper. Mike Penders kept a clean sheet against United, though, and Alonso can reward that display rather than rush the Argentine back. Penders should start again.
The back four is shaped by absentees as much as preference. Reece James, Maxence Lacroix, Aaron Anselmino and Jorrel Hato are all unavailable, which hands Josh Acheampong the right-back berth and Marco Palestra the left. Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill form the predicted central pairing.
Sunderland will likely sit deep and attack on the break, so Chelsea’s full-backs will spend long spells high up the pitch. That puts pressure on Fofana’s recovery pace when the ball turns over, while Colwill’s aggressive passing helps Chelsea move out of defence without hurried clearances. Neither full-back can afford to drift, because a quick counter is Sunderland’s likeliest route back.
Midfield
Jordan Henderson remains a heavy doubt with illness, so Roméo Lavia should keep his place in the double pivot beside Moisés Caicedo after an award-winning performance last week. Caicedo covers the ground in front of the centre-backs and wins the second balls, which frees Lavia to carry the ball through the first line of Sunderland’s press and keep possession moving.
Against a compact block, that patience matters, because Chelsea will see most of the ball and need a midfield that stays disciplined after losing it. Henderson’s experience would offer a calmer option from the bench if he recovers in time.
Attack
João Pedro is out with a muscle injury, and Jamie Gittens has only just returned to training after an ankle problem, so Alonso must again improvise at centre-forward. Morgan Rogers is the makeshift striker for this fixture. His strength and willingness to drop deep give Chelsea a reference point against narrow centre-backs.
Cole Palmer plays behind him and should find pockets between the lines, supplying the final pass that a deep defence rarely allows. Estêvão starts on the right, where his dribbling can isolate a full-back and force a second defender across. Pedro Neto completes the line on the left, and his pace gives Chelsea a way to stretch a defence that will try to stay tight. If Rogers drags the centre-backs apart, Palmer and Estêvão will find the gaps.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Mike Penders – Josh Acheampong, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Marco Palestra – Roméo Lavia, Moisés Caicedo – Estêvão, Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers – Pedro Neto.
