Marc Cucurella will miss out for Chelsea as they play Manchester City in their first game since the departure of Enzo Maresca.
Calum McFarlane will take charge of the team at the Etihad and Cucurella trained on Friday, in a boost for the Blues.
CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW MAN CITY VS CHELSEA LIVE!
McFarlane said that was “positive” and Chelsea have been assessing his fitness.
Cucurella asked to come off against Aston Villa on December 27 and did not feature in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on Tuesday.
McFarlane had some tricy selection decisions to make, particularly in midfield.
Moises Caicedo is unavailable as he serves a one-match suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Bournemouth, which proved to be Maresca’s final match in charge, and Reece James steps into his place alongside Enzo Fernandez.
Malo Gusto was a candidate for that role, but takes up his usual right-back spot as academy graduate Josh Acheampong takes up the opposite role, replacing Cucurella.
Estevao Willian was Chelsea’s best player against Bournemouth and is rewarded with another start. Pedro Neto is on the other flank.
Cole Palmer is still yet to play a full 90 minutes since September but Chelsea may feel this is the moment, as he takes on the club that sold him to them in 2023. He starts at No10.
Dario Essugo, Romeo Lavia and Levi Colwill are all long-term absentees.
Chelsea XI: Jorgensen; Acheampong, Chalobah, Badiashile, Gusto; James, Enzo; Estevao, Palmer, Neto; Joao Pedro
Subs: Slonina, Merrick, Tosin, Hato, Santos, Garnacho, Gittens, Delap, Guiu
Injured: Cucurella, Lavia, Colwill, Essugo
Suspended: Caicedo
Time and date: 5:30pm GMT on Sunday January 4, 2026
Venue: Etihad Stadium
