On the back of a disappointing defeat to Sunderland in the Premier League at the weekend, Chelsea will look to return to winning ways against Wolves in the League Cup on Wednesday night.
The Blues slumped to a shock 2-1 defeat to the Black Cats on Saturday, thereby blowing a chance to move up the Premier League table.
Now, Enzo Maresca’s team goes into the League Cup encounter against Wolves knowing fully well that they cannot afford a second defeat in a row.
More importantly, the Italian manager is expected to introduce changes for the game at Molineux, and Chelsea may have to do without some of their first-team regulars.
But on the flipside, Liam Delap is expected to make his long-awaited return to first-team action after a long spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
While Chelsea are certain to miss a few of their best players against Wolves, it’s an opportunity for others to stand up and be counted.
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Who are the players Enzo Maresca is likely to rest against Wolves?
This season, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Joao Pedro have been three of Chelsea’s most important players.
In a bid to “protect” them, Maresca has hinted that they may not play against Wolves and could be rested instead.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, which has been relayed by football.london, the Chelsea manager said: “They are probably players that need to be protected. Probably tomorrow. We will see. Enzo, Moi and Joao they are all different players for different reasons we need to protect them.”
This allows the likes of Andrey Santos, Romeo Lavia and Facundo Buonanotte to prove their mettle to Maresca.
Despite the changes, Chelsea will fancy their chances of getting a positive result on Wednesday, especially since Wolves are yet to win a game in the Premier League this season.
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