Reece James and Romeo Lavia start as Enzo Maresca hands opportunities to a number of fringe Chelsea players against Morecambe in the third round of the FA Cup.
Maresca had been able to give the bulk of his squad regular minutes throughout the first half of the season as his side alternated between weekend Premier League matches and Conference League games in midweek.
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The Blues do not return to European action until early March now, though, meaning this afternoon’s third round tie offers a rare opportunity for rotation.
Maresca confirmed on Friday that James and Lavia are fit to play after their respective hamstring injuries and they are both named in the starting XI in front of Filip Jorgensen who steps in for Robert Sanchez.
Elsewhere there are starts for Joao Felix, Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu, whilst there’s another chance for academy graduate Tyrique George to impress.
Chelsea’s bench is strong with Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho and Nicolas Jackson on standby if needed.
Confirmed team news
Chelsea XI: Jorgensen; James (c), Disasi, Tosin, Veiga; Lavia, Joao Felix; Neto, Nkunku, George; Guiu
Substitutes: Sanchez, Gusto, Acheampong, Colwill, Cucurella, Fernandez, Palmer, Sancho, Jackson
