Chelsea must rebound from midweek humiliation when visiting Premier League Fulham on Sunday afternoon.
The Blues had already appeared in suspicious form before losing Lange Warsaw's costume in the second leg of their league quarterfinals. Enzo Maresca's side took a three-point lead in the first leg, but Chelsea booed the game on Thursday in a defeat at Stamford Bridge.
Their focus resumed domestic duties as they visited Craven Cottage’s West London rival on Sunday, a vital victory in the Champions League qualifying round. They must raise the bar from Thursday night to conquer their neighbors.
This is how Chelsea lined up for a critical encounter.
GK: Robert Sanchez – Filip Jorgensen's early mid-week penalty gave Legia to Legia, inexplicably failing to refuse a gentle kick. Sanchez will return to the roster against Fulham, seeking a more impressive performance than his rep.
RB: Malo Gusto- Reece James was used in midfield Thursday, with Josh Acheampong living at right back. The enthusiasm for the second half of the year should start with Craven Cottage against Alex Iwobi.
CB: Trevoh Chalobah- Chelsea seemed to bend the corner on the defensive end in recent weeks, but with Ipswich Town and Legia back-to-back, they brought them to Earth. Chalobah must help get things back on track.
CB: Levi Colwill- Colwill has been taking a night off midweek and will enjoy full play in the upcoming battle with Rodrigo Muniz. The Fulham striker scored in reverse games, often proving a tricky client.
LB: Marc Cucurella- The Spaniard continued his excellent shot and if it weren't for Var's intervention, there would be another one. In the recent game, his too late darts entered the free throw area.
DM: Moises Caideo- Caicedo is an obvious goal of the Saudi professional league and will be responsible for stifling Craven Cottage's South American Andreas Pereira, the replacement of Fulham's organizer may be the difference between defeat and victory.
DM: Enzo Fernandez- Fernandez has been a handy provider in the last third of the past month's Club and Country, and the Blues need to get some magic from the Argentines on Sunday.
RW: Noni Madueke- Madueke's goal during the first round with Legia helped the Blues avoid the more intense return conflict at Stamford Bridge. The British need to transfer his goal percentage to the Premier League.
Morning: Cole Palmer – Chelsea's bad situation has not been helped by growing help about Talisman Palmer's performance, desperately lacking confidence to head to Fulham.
LW: Pedro Neto- Neto is another Chelsea striker who needs to improve his offense and the Portuguese has failed to register for targets or assist since the end of February.
ST: Nicholas Jackson – Jackson has not scored yet since returning from injury after an international break in March. Christopher Nkunku barely knocked on his door to replace him.
