Chelsea have both Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer back available for this afternoon’s FA Cup semi-final against Leeds at Wembley.
The match will be the Blues’ first since Liam Rosenior was sacked as head coach on Wednesday and replaced by his assistant Calum McFarlane, who will be the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
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Joao Pedro missed matches against Manchester United and Brighton due to a thigh injury but he has been in training this week, while Palmer was absent from the drubbing on the Sussex coast with a hamstring issue.
The Brazilian has been deemed fit enough for the starting lineup, with Liam Delap dropped, and Palmer has been named to the bench.
Enzo Fernandez starts in the No10, then, with Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto on either wing.
Levi Colwill is expected to play for the Under-21s again this weekend and is not yet ready to play his first minutes of the season for the first team following his serious knee injury suffered in pre-season.
Rosenior set Chelsea up with a back three against Brighton on Tuesday night before rolling back on that decision at half-time when the Blues trailed at the Amex Stadium.
Jamie Gittens and goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen are slightly longer-term absentees and remain sidelined.
Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Tosin, Cucurella; Caicedo, Lavia; Neto, Fernandez, Garnacho; Joao Pedro
Subs: Sharman-Lowe, Acheampong, Fofana, Hato, Essugo, Andrey Santos, Palmer, Derry, Delap
Injured: James, Estevao, Colwill, Jorgensen, Gittens
Time and date: 3pm GMT on Sunday April 26, 2026
Venue: Wembley Stadium
How to watch: BBC One
