- Chelsea host Brentford in Sunday's all-London affair
- Players who featured in Kazakhstan on Thursday unlikely to play a role
- Pedro Net is suspended for the Blues
Chelsea are on the hunt for a tenth straight game without defeat on Sunday when they face bogey side Brentford at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues have come unstuck against the Bees in recent outings, with Thomas Frank's side last tasting defeat against their more glamourous west London rivals in late 2021.
However, Frank won't have faced a Chelsea side playing with the current swagger of Enzo Maresca's iteration. The Brentford boss has already labelled the Blues as the 'best team in the Premier League'.
Sunday's hosts were in midweek action as they travelled to Kazakhstan, but those that featured on Thursday are unlikely to play a role here. Here's the team Maresca could pick for this all-London affair.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Brentford (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sanchez - If there's a player in Maresca's 'strongest' XI whose position should be under scrutiny, it's Sanchez. The Spaniard was woeful in the victory over Tottenham last Sunday, particularly in the first half.
RB: Malo Gusto - Gusto replaced Romeo Lavia at half-time in N17 and could be named in the starting XI. The Frenchman has been used as an auxiliary playmaker at times this season, so the extent of his inversions this weekend will be an interesting subplot.
CB: Levi Colwill - Colwill recently lost centre-back partner Wesley Fofana to a hamstring injury and we should see the England international line up as the right centre-back on Sunday given the change Maresca made at half-time of the Spurs win.
CB: Benoit Badiashile - Badiashile has come in to replace Fofana, but he never settled as the RCB last weekend. Things improved when the former Monaco defender switched over to his natural side.
LB: Marc Cucurella - The absence of stormy conditions should make for a drier playing surface this weekend, so the Spaniard shouldn't have any footwear concerns.
CM: Moises Caicedo - The imperious Ecuadorian is enjoying a brilliant season and is the lynchpin of this Chelsea team. Maresca's jack-of-all-trades midfielder will hold down the fort in the middle of the park this weekend.
CM: Enzo Fernandez - Fernandez's resurgence has been critical to Chelsea's recent success, with the Argentine continuing his rich vein of form in front of goal last weekend. Gusto's inclusion may limit the freedom he earns to operate between the lines, but Caicedo's presence offers the silky midfielder some much-needed stability.
RM: Noni Madueke - Maresca wants more from Madueke, who's undeniably having a fine season. However, Pedro Neto has seemingly usurped him in the depth chart. Fortunately for the England international, Neto's suspended for Sunday's game so he's a shoo-in to start.
AM: Cole Palmer - Okay, perhaps we all went a little bit overboard about the Panenka, but the hype surrounding Palmer as a performer is very much justified. The instinctive playmaker has 17 goal contributions in 15 league outings this term.
LM: Jadon Sancho - The footballing world's a better place when Sancho's playing with a smile on his face. The winger was excellent at Spurs last weekend having seen his momentum in blue stall due to injury. Sancho deserves a run in the team.
ST: Nicolas Jackson - The Chelsea striker didn't get in on the action last weekend and will be keen to take advantage of a Brentford backline that's been porous on their travels this season.
