Predicted XI: Enzo Maresca faces huge question mark over dropped Enzo Fernandez and Chelsea shape | OneFootball

Usually Christmas feels packed full of games – in this case, Chelsea have had their first week off for a while, meaning that today’s clash with Aston Villa has felt like a long time coming.

That’s given players a chance to rest after the hectic draw with Newcastle last weekend – and has given Enzo Maresca a pretty blank canvas to pick his team from. So which way will he go with it?

Maresca faces big decision over dropped Enzo Fernandez

Enzo Maresca on the touchline. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Robert Sanchez in goal is one of the few selections we can be confident in. Marc Cucurella at left back is another. If Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah are fit they will play in the middle. At right back it starts to get interesting.

In recent games, Enzo Maresca has been picking Malo Gusto at right back and Reece James in midfield. Given Villa are a strong side, we reckon Maresca goes with that again. Enzo Fernandez was left out of the starting team against Newcastle, but it didn’t work super well, frankly. If Maresca brings the Argentine back in, that means shuffling things around a lot.

Moises Caicedo will be in there alongside James, and then we think Cole Palmer moves to the right wing with Pedro Neto playing on the left. Joao Pedro will lead the line.

In other news…

The game tonight is likely to come down to a battle between Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers – there will be more to it than that, but those are the creative players most likely to be able to change the game in an instant.

As we enter this hectic period, being able to control the ball and thereby control the game is going to prove crucial, and Chelsea have already proved very capable at that under Enzo Maresca, as the stats now show.