On Sunday afternoon, Chelsea will play Leicester City in the Premier League with the goal of strengthening their chances of qualifying for the Champions League the following season.
Enzo Maresca, the manager who led Leicester to a Championship title and a quick return to the Premier League, will face his old team in this match.
Chelsea will want to keep up their momentum after defeating Southampton 4-0 in their most recent league game. On the other hand, Leicester recently suffered a defeat at the hands of West Ham United, falling 2-0.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, the manager of Leicester, announced a major fitness boost ahead of the game. Full-back Ricardo Pereira is back after missing four months owing to a hamstring injury. Before being injured since early November, the 31-year-old was instrumental under Maresca. His eligibility for selection against Chelsea has been verified now that he is back in full squad training.
“This was his first week of full team training, so he will be available for selection,” van Nistelrooy said at the news conference before the game. “It’s significant. We want to build him up, see how he does, and then proceed after he completed a week of team training. It’s only common sense.
Woyo Coulibaly, a January addition and fellow full-back, is also cleared to play after missing the last game because of a minor injury.
The lone long-term absence for the Foxes will be Abdul Fatawu, who will miss the rest of the season due to an ACL injury he suffered in November.
Chelsea must deal with a number of injury issues, though. Along with winger Noni Madueke, strikers Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu are anticipated to be sidelined until after the international break. In addition, Mykhailo Mudryk will remain out of action while serving a suspension.
Despite Maresca’s indications that he won’t start, there is cautious optimism that Romeo Lavia will rejoin the team. The Chelsea manager has allayed any concerns about Malo Gusto’s injury after he was substituted in the match against Copenhagen.
