Date: 30th December 2023
Location: Kenilworth Road, Luton
Match Prediction: Luton 1 – 2 Chelsea
Predicted starting XI to face Wolves:
D. Petrovic, M. Gusto, T. Silva, A. Disasi, L. Colwill, M. Caicedo, C. Gallagher, N. Madueke, R. Sterling, C. Palmer, A. Broja
The final game of an up and down 2023 sees Chelsea head across London to face a Luton Town side who are off the back of two wins.
A late penalty from Noni Madueke gave the Blues three points at home to Crystal Palace just a few days ago. The win sees Mauricio Pochettino’s side sitting in 10th spot, four points behind Newcastle.
As for Luton, they are starting to get the results they’ve deserved after strong performances haven’t quite turned into results. However wins against Newcastle and Sheffield United have given Rob Edwards hope of a possible survival when it comes to the end of the season.
Due to the hectic December schedule, Chelsea have played three games in just over a week and with an injury list that seems to keep growing, Pochettino has a decision to make with his starting XI for this weekend’s fixture.
Malo Gusto was man of the match against Palace so will retain his spot. Thiago Silva was rested and made an appearance from the bench, it’s expected the Brazilian will come back into the starting line up alongside Axel Disasi at centre back.
Enzo will again miss out meaning Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher are likely to start in the middle of midfield. There was a promising showing from Romeo Lavia in the previous fixture but the Belgian came away from his debut with some leg troubles.
In attack, Chelsea will be bolstered by the return of Cole Palmer who is back from suspension. Raheem Sterling was previously rested so is likely to take the place of the in form Mykhailo Mudryk who has featured heavily throughout December and could be in need of a rest.
Noni Madueke won the penalty and the game for the Blues a few days again when he cooly slotted home the penalty to secure three points. Madueke deserves another opportunity to show the manager what he can offer after a real lack of game time in recent months.
Armando Broja could start up front with Nicolas Jackson dropping to the bench to rotate and rest. It’s likely that Christopher Nkunku may drop to the bench as Pochettino manages the French attacker’s minutes as he returns from a long lay off.
The Luton test will not be an easy one for Chelsea but it’s vital the Blues come away with three points to get themselves closer to the top half of the table.
