The Chelsea players who could make crucial first team breakthrough in cup tie | OneFootball

With the transfer window euphoria (or tedium, depending on your outlook) now over, it’s time to get back to the real business of actually playing football.

A big comeback win over West Ham on Monday night takes the pressure off Chelsea on the Premier League front, putting them back into the top 4 position they now need to defend.

This team should be looking to win trophies too however, and they can take a big step towards that this weekend when they face Brighton in the FA Cup. The Blues take the short trip to Sussex for that game, and if you wan to join them you can still get cup tickets here.

Given there’s then a week until our next game after that, we expect a very strong team from Enzo Maresca. Resting players won’t really be a concern, it will be all about making sure we get past a very dangerous Seagulls side while not risking anyone who may need a break.

So the likes of Reece James should be managed with a week off, and we’d love to see the central midfielders given a break too (although the failure to sign anyone to fill in for them may make that unlikely).

Marc Guiu celebrates his first Chelsea goal.

Filip Jorgensen, who got a league start in goal on Monday, should get a chance to continue to impress here. He has perhaps the most to gain in this match. Maresca knows his preferred team pretty well at this point, and it’s only Jorgensen who can earn a starting spot in the short term. Play well on Saturday and we would imagine he keeps his place in the league for games going forward.

Trevoh Chalobah, who has played 2 and missed 1 since returning from his loan at Crystal Palace can also probably cement a league place if he does well in the game.

That’s probably all of the changes Maresca is thinking about making, although we’d love to see Marc Guiu given a run out up top. Nicolas Jackson’s form has been poor, but the lack of real competition isn’t helping. We need to show Guiu that he has an honest shot of playing if he does well, and show Jackson that his minutes are not guaranteed if he doesn’t start scoring.

As always, we’re super keen to see some young academy players too, but we won’t hold our breath on that front.