Chelsea travel to face Brighton in the FA Cup tonight looking to move one step closer to securing Enzo Maresca’s first trophy in charge after his appointment in the summer.
The Blues will be aiming to make it back-to-back wins following their 2-1 triumph over London rivals West Ham United in the Premier League on Monday night at Stamford Bridge.
As for the cup competition, Maresca’s men claimed a 5-0 win over League Two Morecambe in the previous round, with this evening’s clash against fellow top-flight opposition undoubtedly a bigger challenge.
Given the increased level of opposition, the boss could opt to start one player who sat out of the convincing victory in the previous round at the Bridge.
Cole Palmer’s stats for Chelsea in 2024/25
After such an impressive year with the Blues during his debut year in West London, Cole Palmer was always going to find it difficult to replicate his success after his big-money move from Manchester City.
However, in 2024/25, he’s gone from strength to strength, once again being the club’s shining light within attacking areas and playing a huge role in their success in the final third.
The 22-year-old has registered 14 goals and six assists in his 24 Premier League matches, the most of any player within the first-team squad, highlighting his importance to Maresca this campaign.
His tally puts him fourth in the division for most combined goal contributions to date, with his inclusion needed tonight to avoid any potential slip-up against a Brighton side that can cause any side problems on their day.
Palmer should feature alongside another first-team star who’s more than deserving of a recall after his heroics against the Hammers at the start of the week.
The player who needs to start with Palmer against Brighton
Winger Pedro Neto arrived at Chelsea over the summer in a somewhat surprising deal that came out of nowhere, costing £54m from fellow Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Portuguese international, who’s been dubbed “sensational” by journalist Ben Jacobs, has struggled with injuries over the last couple of years, but the hierarchy decided to take a plunge on the 24-year-old.
However, it’s not all been plain sailing for Neto in recent weeks, being benched for the last two outings, but he did manage to net the equaliser on Monday – spurring the side on to go and claim all three points.
During his cameo off the bench, he impressed with his desire to get the ball into attacking areas, completing one of his two attempted dribbles, with six of his 29 touches of the ball coming in the opposition box.
Such stats could provide Palmer with the ammunition to increase his goal tally, whilst also being able to bolster his assists figures – especially considering his huge 2.8 chances created per 90 so far this season.
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Pedro Neto’s stats for Chelsea against West Ham on Monday |
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|---|---|
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Statistics |
Tally |
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Minutes played |
38 |
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Touches |
29 |
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Touches in opposition box |
6 |
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Goals scored |
1 |
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Pass accuracy |
12/16 (75%) |
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Successful dribbles |
1/2 (50%) |
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Shots taken |
3 |
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Stats via FotMob |
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Neto’s cameo off the bench is all you can ask for from a player who’s been left out of the starting eleven, making that impact and showcasing to the manager why he made a mistake not starting him.
As a result, Maresca may opt to start the former Wolves man later on today, allowing him to star with the Englishman in attacking areas – something which is a scary prospect should he reach the levels he produced off the bench on Monday.
The pair operating together hands the boss an added chance to go through to the next round of the competition, putting himself closer to title glory in his first season at the helm.