In order to advance to the Carabao Cup quarterfinals, Chelsea will need to defeat Newcastle, therefore manager Mauricio Pochettino will field a formidable squad tonight.
The nine-man injury list that the Argentine has to deal with includes the freshly injured trio of Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez, and Reece James.
The long list of absentees is completed by Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Lesley Ugochukwu, Trevoh Chalobah, and Carney Chukwuemeka.
Although back, Noni Madueke is probably only going to be a bench warmer at Stamford Bridge.
Injury-prone Newcastle defeated Chelsea 4-1 last month despite potentially being without 11 players of their own.
The starting lineup that defeated Sheffield United 2-0 over the weekend in the Premier League is probably what Pochettino will choose.
In goal, Djordje Petrovic will continue to start in place of the injured No. 1 Sanchez, while Axel Disasi is anticipated to play right back again out of position. Levi Colwill, Thiago Silva, and Benoit Badiashile might once again complete an all-center-back backline.
After being benched over the weekend, Enzo Fernandez might be included again, rejoining alongside Moises Caicedo and Gallagher in the midfield. Mudryk might not be included.
Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer, and Raheem Sterling all contributed goals on Saturday and might start as the front three.
Although Christopher Nkunku was added to Chelsea’s bench for the first time, he did not see any action during the weekend. Tuesday night may finally see the £52 million player take the field, though he will probably only play a supporting role as he recovers.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Petrovic; Disasi, Silva, Badiashile, Colwill; Caicedo, Gallagher; Palmer, Fernandez, Sterling; Jackson
Injuries: Chukwuemeka, Chalobah, Chilwell, Cucurella, Sanchez, James, Fofana, Ugochukwu, Lavia
