Three ways Chelsea could lineup against Brighton after Enzo Maresca injury update
Chelsea’s early season injury curse has continued ahead of their next Premier League clash at home to Brighton this weekend.
Chelsea began the 2025-26 campaign in great form with two wins from their first three league games, but they have only emerged victorious from one of their last four after scraping past Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
Enzo Maresca has had to contend with a raft of injuries to key players already this term, with Levi Colwill suffering an ACL tear during pre-season, while Liam Delap recently picked up a hamstring injury against Fulham and is out until December.
Maresca is also out without Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo, who have also been sidelined.
Palmer made his return to action against Brentford on 13 September after nearly a month out, but went off injured last weekend against Man United, and Maresca has now announced that he will not play again until after October’s international break.
His absence will serve as a big blow to the Blues, but Football Insider have looked at three ways in which they may set up this Saturday (27 September) against Brighton now that Palmer is confirmed to be out.
Facundo Buonanotte starts at number 10
The most likely fix to Chelsea’s problems will be Facundo Buonanotte keeping his place just behind the striker at number 10 after he impressed in the cup in midweek.
Buonanotte joined Chelsea on loan from Brighton on deadline day in a move that raised eyebrows across the game after he spent last season with Leicester City and was unable to help save them from relegation to the Championship.
He primarily plays in attacking midfield, but can also play on the wing, and it is the former position where Maresca has seen fit to deploy him from the off against Brentford and Lincoln so far.
The 20-year-old scored what proved to be the winner against the Imps on Tuesday (23 September), and it would, therefore, be no surprise to see him start once again behind Joao Pedro in attack.
Joao Pedro starts at number 10 with Tyrique George as a striker
Another option available to Maresca could be to play Pedro as a number 10 instead of Buonanotte, then hand Tyrique George his first league start of the campaign after his own fine showing against Lincoln.
George was set to join Fulham late in the summer window, but his move collapsed at the eleventh-hour and he has been included in Maresca’s squads on numerous occasions so far this season with Delap’s injury opening a surprise pathway.
He started as a centre-forward against the Imps in the cup, and repaid Maresca’s faith with a stunning strike from the edge of the area to equalise, before setting up Buonanotte for his winner.
Both of the games in which former Brighton man Pedro has scored in for the Blues this season have been when he has played deeper as a number 10, or second striker, and so it seems logical to start him there again if Chelsea want to return to winning ways in the league.
Maresca plays 4-3-3 with no attacking midfielder
The least likely lineup of these three options would be Maresca setting his team up in a 4-3-3 formation with no recognised attacking midfielder alongside Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.
While it is not as likely, it is also not completely unheard of for the Italian head-coach, after he played a similar style against Flamengo in the Club World Cup and versus Aston Villa last season, with Reece James moving into midfield on both occasions.
James is fit and ready to play after a good start to the new season, so he could do the same again with Malo Gusto then starting at right-back, or holding midfielder Andrey Santos may even be handed another start next to Caicedo and Fernandez after appearing from the off against Lincoln.