Sunderland vs Chelsea – Team News: McFarlane sticks with back five, Reece James misses out | OneFootball

Chelsea face Brighton at the Amex in the Premier League in just over an hour, and the team news for the game is in!

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Calum McFarlane is picking his final team as Chelsea manager, and there are some interesting selections from the caretaker.

We thought he would revert to a back four for this game, but he’s stuck with the back five he’s used in the last few weeks. That means Robert Sanchez in goal, with a back line of Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill and Jorrel Hato.

The wing backs are Marc Cucurella and Malo Gusto.

In midfield we’ve got Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez as a pair. Ahead of them, Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer flank Joao Pedro, who returns to lead the line.

The lack of Reece James is interesting – McFarlane confirmed earlier in the week that his captain wasn’t injured, just fatigued after playing in the FA Cup final last Saturday. It’s strange that he’s only fit for the bench after more than a week off – but we’re sure Thomas Tuchel is delighted.

Here are the full team line-ups for Sunderland vs Chelsea (kick off at 16:00 GMT)

CHELSEA:

In other news…

Reece James has been speaking about the influence Cesar Azpilicueta had on him as a player over the years after the Spaniard’s retirement.

Maxence Lacroix looks like he could be leaving Crystal Palace this summer, and lots of fans want him at Chelsea.

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