Palmer and Delap Hold Key to Chelsea's Victory Against ES Tunis in Crucial Clash
Chelsea entered the United States tournament with high expectations this summer, but the London club now faces potential early exit following their defeat to Flamengo in their second group match.
While the likelihood of Enzo Maresca's squad departing for London on Wednesday appears remote, the English Premier League side still has significant challenges ahead against determined North African competitors.
ES Tunis currently shares the same point total with Chelsea after their victory over LAFC, though the Blues maintain an advantage in goal differential going into this match, meaning the four-time CAF Champions League champions would need an impressive triumph over Maresca's team to progress in their place.
The build-up to this crucial encounter has been less than perfect for Chelsea, and here's how their starting formation might look.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. ES Tunis (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sánchez—The exhausting heat conditions will certainly prompt Maresca to make changes, though first-choice keeper Sánchez is expected to maintain his position in goal.
RB: Malo Gusto—Given that Reece James has been dealing with sickness during the weekend, Gusto appears likely to continue in the right-back position.
CB: Tosin Adarabioyo—Maresca's defensive reorganization begins with bringing in Tosin, who mainly appeared in European competitions for the Blues during the previous campaign, providing solid backup for Trevoh Chalobah.
CB: Benoît Badiashile—Since Levi Colwill remains questionable due to illness, Maresca might choose the central defensive pairing that collaborated multiple times during their successful UEFA Conference League campaign.
LB: Marc Cucurella—The manager has limited options to consider, despite Cucurella's difficulties in the loss against Flamengo.
CM: Roméo Lavia—Maresca must cautiously handle the injury-susceptible Lavia, who was relegated to substitute duty in the previous match after featuring in the 2-0 victory over LAFC.
CM: Dário Essugo—Apart from Cucurella, no player accumulated more playing time across all competitions for Chelsea than Moisés Caicedo last season, with the Ecuadorian midfielder having started both tournament matches to date. He deserves some rest, and while fans would appreciate seeing Andrey Santos get an opportunity, Maresca appears to favor newcomer Essugo.
RW: Pedro Neto—Neto has found the net in both of Chelsea's matches so far and is developing into one of the manager's preferred players. The winger should maintain his position on the right side.
AM: Cole Palmer—Chelsea's key player has not yet joined the team in the United States, and honestly, Palmer's moments of excellence were quite inconsistent during the latter part of the 2024-25 season. He might have benefited from a longer rest period after the campaign concluded.
LW: Noni Madueke—Maresca appears to be repositioning Madueke to make room for Neto, despite the English player arguably being Chelsea's top-performing winger last season. Nevertheless, Madueke may return to the starting eleven on Tuesday and operate from his preferred wing position.
ST: Liam Delap—The manager might experiment and deploy Christopher Nkunku in a versatile striker role, while Marc Guiu entered as a substitute in the second group game. Nevertheless, with Nicolas Jackson serving a suspension, it appears probable that the new acquisition will receive another starting opportunity up front.