Enzo Maresca must unshackable ‘special’ Chelsea ace who loves to haunt Tottenham
Enzo Maresca already has the key to victory for when Chelsea travel across London to face Tottenham in a huge Premier League clash.
Chelsea beat Wolves in a seven-goal thriller to reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, but having previously lost to Sunderland in the league, the Blues have fallen to ninth in the table.
Keith Hackett believes Chemsdine Talbi’s winner should have been ruled out, but nonetheless, their four-game winning streak was brought to an abrupt end by the newly promoted team at Stamford Bridge.
There is already a new opportunity for Maresca’s side to get back to winning ways on Saturday, 1 November, but with Spurs vastly improved under Thomas Frank, three points are not guaranteed.
Enzo Maresca to ring the changes after Wolves thriller
The Blues just about scraped through to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, and with Tyrique George, Facundo Buonanotte, and Filip Jorgensen all starting, it was no surprise.
Enzo Fernandez was benched, alongside Pedro Neto and Moises Caicedo, before Liam Delap was stupidly sent off after coming on as a substitute for his first appearance since the end of August.
The suspension leaves the manager with one less option through the middle for the giant clash against the Lilywhites, but luckily for Chelsea, one of the available players loves facing the North London outfit.
The choice will be between Joao Pedro, George, Marc Guiu, or even a rare start for Shim Mheuka, but it should be a very easy decision for Maresca if he wants all three points.
Joao Pedro to continue perfect record against Tottenham
Pedro is a player with a “special quality”, according to his former manager Fabian Hurzeler, and Spurs will know this more than most clubs in the Premier League due to his goal contributions per 90 minutes.
Ignoring his substitute appearance during his Watford days, the 23-year-old has only featured against the Lilywhites on one other occasion, but he made that opportunity count for the Seagulls.
In a 4-2 win, Pedro netted a brace and assisted, with Jack Hinshelwood and Pervis Estupinan also on the scoresheet during the 2023-24 campaign. He would love to extend that record this weekend.
He already has two goals and three assists in nine Premier League matches this term, and if he is to add to those numbers, it is very likely to be against one of Chelsea’s biggest rivals.