Chelsea predicted line-up vs. Brighton: £32m striker available despite ban but key players remain out

Chelsea continue their stuttering start to the campaign with a tricky tie in the third round of the EFL Cup this Wednesday, with high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion visiting Stamford Bridge for an evening kick-off.

Ordinarily, EFL Cup games are a great chance for managers to offer their squad some rest and rotation, but with pressure already mounting on Mauricio Pochettino, he will no doubt want to make sure he sends a strong team out to take on the Seagulls – and a deep cup run could be just the tonic for a team low on confidence, as well as a great way to keep a seemingly impatient board of the coach’s back.

Let’s take a look at the latest team news and injury updates for Chelsea, and see who Pochettino is likely to field when Brighton pay their visit on Wednesday night.

Goalkeeper & Defence

This is the perfect opportunity to give new signing and Serbian international goalkeeper Đorđe Petrović his first outing since arriving from New England Revolution, and while it’s likely that Pochettino will resist the temptation to rotate too many spots in the team, this is the best chance he’ll get to give his second-choice goalkeeper a chance to impress.

Several injured defenders will remain unavailable, with Benoît Badiashile taking a step backwards in his recovery after a muscle injury in training last week, and Trevoh Chalobah unlikely to be ready for at least another week or two. Reece James is still several weeks away from getting back into the action. Wesley Fofana remains a long-term casualty after injuring his cruciate ligament.

The selection at left-back could be interesting, with Levi Colwill playing there after Ben Chilwell was unexpectedly dropped from the first-team after struggling in his new, more attacking role under Pochettino. Ian Maatsen needs game time too, while Marc Cucurella is well again after missing the recent match against Bournemouth due to an illness. One of the usual left-backs could be forced to fill in on the right side thanks to Malo Gusto’s suspension – he will likely miss three games after receiving a straight red card against Aston Villa. Red cards suspensions in the Premier League also apply in domestic cup competitions. Axel Disasi, who has played right-back before, is the alternative.

Midfield

Chelsea’s two injury concerns in the centre of the park are Roméo Lavia and Carney Chukwuemeka, both of whom are likely to be available in October. Lavia suffered an ankle injury on international duty with Belgium, while Chukwuemeka left the field during the 3-1 defeat to West Ham United, but has been pictured back in training. Neither are likely to feature against Brighton, however.

Cole Palmer could well make his first start since his deadline day move from Manchester City in the number ten role as Chelsea continue to search for someone to make that position their own after Christopher Nkunku’s injury, from which the Frenchman is unlikely to return for several months.

Forwards

Armando Broja came on against Villa for his first substitute appearance since suffering a cruciate ligament injury back in November 2022, but is relatively unlikely to start as the club continue to manage his minutes as he looks to regain full match fitness. Another substitute showing is more likely.

Noni Madueke picked up a minor muscle injury a couple of weeks ago and has missed out on the last two matchday squads, but is back in training and has some chance of playing a part in the EFL Cup tie, although it’s again unlikely to be as a member of the starting eleven. Nicolas Jackson will be available despite picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Villa – yellow card suspensions do not carry over to cup competitions, so he will serve his ban during the Premier League tie against Fulham at the weekend.

Full predicted line-up vs. Brighton

Petrović; Cucurella, Colwill, Thiago Silva, Disasi; Fernández, Gallagher, Palmer; Mudryk, Jackson, Sterling.