Chelsea could be without as many as five players for their 2023-24 Premier League opener at home against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
The Blues have been dealt two major injury blows ahead of the new campaign as Wesley Fofana and summer signing Christopher Nkunku are both ruled out for several months after undergoing knee surgery.
Hamstring injuries prevented both Benoit Badiashile and Noni Madueke from taking part in pre-season, while Armando Broja has not featured for Chelsea since picking up an ACL injury last winter. However, all three players have returned to training and may have an outside chance of being selected in Mauricio Pochettino's first matchday squad as the Blues boss.
Pochettino must decide whether to stick with goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga – who has recently been linked with both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid – or hand a debut to new recruit Robert Sanchez who has joined permanently from Brighton & Hove Albion.
New club captain Reece James is set to start at right-back, with Ben Chilwell the most likely candidate to operate at left-back, while 38-year-old Thiago Silva could be partnered in central defence by either Levi Colwill or summer signing Axel Disasi.
While Chelsea continue to push for the signing of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher are the only two senior midfield options at Pochettino's disposal at the time of writing, and the pair are expected to start on Sunday, while teenager Carney Chukwuemeka could be handed a start in the number 10 role after featuring regularly in pre-season.
With Nkunku sidelined and Romelu Lukaku heading for the exit door, new signing Nicolas Jackson is poised to make his competitive debut up front, while Raheem Sterling, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Ian Maatsen will battle for a start on the flanks.
Chelsea possible starting lineup: Arrizabalaga; James, Silva, Colwill, Chilwell; Fernandez, Gallagher; Sterling, Chukwuemeka, Mudryk; Jackson
> Click here to see how Liverpool could line up for this contest
Oliver Thomas
