Chelsea welcome José Mourinho back to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night, but Enzo Maresca has little time to consider the narratives surrounding the “special one”.
The Italian boss is mitigating a swathe of injuries, and he desperately needs to oversee an upturn in fortunes soon, despite the club’s hierarchy doubling down on their faith in him after Saturday’s 3–1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Blues were beaten by an excellent Bayern Munich side in their Champions League opener, and are favourites to prevail in Gameweek Two in spite of their recent form, as well as the presence of Mourinho in the away dugout.
Chelsea are still without their talismanic playmaker and best defender, and Maresca suggested that more cornerstones could be absent here. Here’s how they could line up.
GK: Robert Sánchez—Sánchez made a quick return to the starting XI after serving a one-game suspension, and Maresca won’t be changing his goalkeepers here.
RB: Malo Gusto—There’s been plenty of rotation at right-back to start 2025–26, with captain Reece James increasing in prominence once more. However, the injury-prone Englishman played 90 minutes at the weekend and may need protecting.
CB: Trevoh Chalobah—Chalobah was stiffed by Andrey Santos at the weekend, with the midfielder’s giveaway leaving the defender in an emergency situation against Brighton’s Diego Gómez. While Chalobah will serve a domestic suspension, he’s available for Benfica’s visit.
CB: Benoît Badiashile—The former Monaco defender was back in action at the weekend, and a natural left-footer could aid Chelsea’s build-up in Levi Colwill’s absence.
LB: Marc Cucurella—The Spaniard has been relied upon relentlessly since Maresca took charge, and the Italian won’t want to rotate Cucurella out for a game of this magnitude.
CM: Moisés Caicedo—Caicedo is one of three players listed as doubts by the Chelsea boss for Tuesday’s game. The midfielder’s carrying a knock, so it’s not yet certain whether he’ll play.
CM: Roméo Lavia—The Manchester City academy starlet has spent much of his Chelsea career on the sidelines, but he recently made another comeback from injury. If Caicedo’s fit, Lavia could partner with the Ecuadorian in Maresca’s midfield pivot, as they did so effectively during the first half of last season.
AM: Enzo Fernández—The Argentinian box crasher likely performs a more advanced midfield role with Cole Palmer still out. Fernández was on the scoresheet at the weekend before things took a turn for the worse.
RW: Estêváo—The Brazilian’s first Champions League experience was a daunting one, and he was on the periphery in Munich. The talented teenager has the chance to showcase his stuff under the bright lights here.
ST: João Pedro—Chelsea are stuffed if Pedro’s not fit to play, so Maresca will be desperate for the Brazilian, who’s endured a quiet run of games, to shake off his knock from the weekend.
LW: Alejandro Garnacho—Garnacho has played a bit-part role since joining the club, but now’s the time to give him a proper crack. Pedro Neto has underperformed, while Jamie Gittens hasn’t shown us all that much.
