Chelsea turn their attention away from the Premier League this evening as they prepare to travel to St. James’ Park to take on Newcastle in the League Cup.
A place in the quarter-finals of the competition is up for grabs and this means that it is starting to get serious, which could require more first-team stars to be selected for the Blues.
However, it does come in between two high-intensity games in the Premier League, after Chelsea beat the Magpies 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in the top-flight on Sunday.
Enzo Maresca’s side are also in action once again on Sunday this week as they travel away to Old Trafford to take on currently managerless Manchester United, who relieved Erik ten Hag of his duties on Monday.
This means that the Italian head coach may not want to go full strength, with the same starting XI that played last weekend, and could make a few changes to his team to ensure that players are not overworked.
Filip Jorgensen, for example, could get an opportunity to show the manager that he deserves a place in the side ahead of Robert Sanchez moving forward.
Maresca could also place Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke – who both started on the flanks on Sunday – on the bench to rest them ahead of the weekend.
Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke's form this season
Firstly, the England international has established himself as a regular starter in the Premier League so far this season, after only starting 13 times in the 2023/24 campaign.
Madueke has started all eight of his appearances in the division under Maresca and contributed with four goals, zero assists, and one ‘big chance’ created.
Three of those goals came in one game, against Wolverhampton Wanderers, and this means that the attacker has only provided one goal contribution in his seven outings outside of that clash with Wolves, which suggests that there is room for him to improve in the final third.
Meanwhile, Neto has had to work hard for a place in the starting XI and has been named in the team in three of his nine appearances in the Premier League this term.
The Portugal international is yet to find the back of the net in the league for the Blues but did register his second assist in the division by teeing up Nicolas Jackson for a simple finish against Newcastle last weekend.
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Maresca must now drop them to the bench to keep them fresh to start against the Red Devils on Sunday, and the first player who should be unleashed on the wing in Neto’s place is Jadon Sancho.
Why Jadon Sancho should start
Firstly, this is a perfect opportunity to get some minutes into the English forward before he is ineligible to play against Manchester United at the weekend.
He is, of course, on loan from the Premier League giants ahead of a potential permanent move to Stamford Bridge next summer, which means that the winger cannot face his parent club on Sunday.
After being an unused substitute in the last two games in all competitions, Sancho should now be given an opportunity to shine from the start before he has to watch on from the stands at the end of the week.
The 24-year-old star, who is valued at €30m (£25m) by Transfermarkt, has shown plenty of promise in his showings for Chelsea in the Premier League since his loan switch to Stamford Bridge during the summer transfer window.
Appearances
5
Starts
4
Goals
0
Assists
3
Key passes per game
1.6
Dribbles completed per game
2.4
As you can see in the table above, Sancho has recorded three assists in four starts in the league for the Blues, although he is yet to find the back of the net – like Neto.
This shows that he has provided a creative and exciting threat down the left flank for Chelsea, with his ability to dribble past opponents on a regular basis and create chances for the likes of Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, and Cole Palmer.
Sancho is not the only winger who should be unleashed from the start against the Magpies this evening, however, as Mykhailo Mudryk should also come in in place of Madueke on the right.
Why Mykhailo Mudryk should start
The Ukraine international should start ahead of the Englishman, who should be rested ahead of Sunday, after some promising performances in recent weeks.
Mudryk, who joined from Shakhtar Donetsk in an £89m deal at the start of last year, has found minutes hard to come by in the Premier League under Maresca this season, with one start and just five appearances in total.
He is yet to register a goal or an assist in the Premier League this term, after a return of five goals and two assists in 31 outings under Mauricio Pochettino in the 2023/24 campaign.
However, his performances in the Europa Conference League have been encouraging and suggest that he deserves an opportunity to showcase his quality against a Premier League-level team in the League Cup against Newcastle this evening.
Appearances
2
Sofascore rating
7.8
Goals
1
Key passes per game
2.5
Assists
3
As you can see in the table above, the Ukrainian forward has been in stunning form in Europe with a return of four direct goal contributions in two appearances.
Mudryk started both of those matches in the Europa Conference League and showed that he can make a difference in the final third at that level, with five chances created and three assists to go along with one goal.
However, he is yet to consistently show his quality against Premier League sides and that is why tonight could be a big match for the winger, as Maresca could give him an opportunity to stake a claim for his place in the domestic starting XI moving forward.
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Therefore, the manager should unleash the exciting £114m-rated duo from the start against the Magpies and rest Madueke and Neto this evening.