Chelsea team news: Predicted XI vs Southampton as Palmer and Jackson rotation calls made

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca could be tempted to tinker with his side for their clash with relegation-threatened Southampton at St Mary’s on Wednesday evening, as he faces decisions on Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson’s selection.

Maresca has a wealth of options to choose from and that makes it only more difficult to predict how strong the Italian will go with his starting XI. But with the first midweek Premier League fixtures of the side to navigate ahead of the busy festive schedule, the Italian tactician has the luxury of using his inflated squad to rest some of his star names.

Southampton are rooted to the bottom of the table with five points from 13 games and Russell Martin’s side have only tasted victory once since their promotion to the top flight.

With that in mind, some of Chelsea’s fringe players from the ‘B team’ could get a rare chance to impress their boss on Wednesday night as they look to close the gap to leaders Liverpool.

Chelsea predicted XI vs Southampton (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Robert Sanchez

Sanchez had been facing calls to be dropped for the improving Filip Jorgensen after conceding some sloppy goals of late, while his deputy has excelled in cup competitions.

But the Spaniard produced a fine display against Aston Villa to earn his first clean sheet in the Premier League since the 3-0 win over West Ham in September.

That should be enough to warrant Maresca’s faith for another few games, although it wouldn’t be a surprise if Maresca gave Jorgensen his Premier League debut against the struggling Saints.

Defenders: Malo Gusto, Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile, Marc Cucurella

Maresca used Caicedo as an inverted right-back against Aston Villa and the Ecuadorian impressed in the hybrid role. But he is expected to bring Malo Gusto back into the starting XI, moving Caicedo back into midfield.

Wesley Fofana suffered a hamstring injury during Sunday’s game and was replaced by Badiashile, who was solid after coming off the bench.

The Frenchman is therefore likely to beat Tosin Adarabioyo to a starting berth, meaning Chelsea could start with three left-footed defenders in the back four.

Fofana joins Reece James in the physio room as the Blues captain is currently trying to recover from yet another hamstring problem.

Midfielders: Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez

With Moises Caicedo transitioning back into the midfield, the man to make way for Gusto is likely to be Romeo Lavia.

The 20-year-old may be rewarded with minutes against his former club from the bench after his £58million move last August. But his fitness is still being managed after his long-term injury troubles last season and asking him to play twice in the space of four days may be a stretch too far.

With Lavia likely to sit out from the start, Fernandez should keep his place after scoring in consecutive league games for the first time in his Chelsea career.

Attacking midfielders: Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer, Mykhaylo Mudryk

Madueke has been benched for the last two matches against Aston Villa and Heidenheim, so one can assume the winger will return to the starting XI ahead of Jadon Sancho.

The 22-year-old’s form has gone off the boil in recent weeks after an electric start to the season, but his pace could be useful on the counter against Southampton.

Pedro Neto has played the full 90 minutes in their last four league matches and the Portuguese, 24, could be swapped out for Mudryk, who is improving with every game at Chelsea.

And there is scope for Joao Felix to be involved from the bench to give Palmer a rest if the west London side are leading comfortably at St Mary’s.

Striker: Christopher Nkunku

Could this finally be the day where Nkunku gets his chance to shine from the start?

The Frenchman certainly deserves an opportunity after netting 11 goals in all competitions this season. Yet he has only featured for 183 minutes in the Premier League – starting just once in his 12 appearances.

With rotation a possibility, Nicolas Jackson could drop to the bench after starting all but one of their league matches up front.