In what could be considered to be a hugely risky manoeuvre from Chelsea, left-back Marc Cucurella has been included in their starting XI to face AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup.
The Spaniard is on the verge of a loan move to Man United in order to cover for Luke Shaw’s absence, so the Red Devils are likely to be watching the goings on at Stamford Bridge with interest.
Understand Manchester United have reached an agreement in principle with Cucurella on personal terms. Green light arrived on player side. ?? #MUFC
Man United won’t negotiate for any other left back now — as they want to get Cucurella deal done with Chelsea ASAP. pic.twitter.com/ZNmvb3Sgou
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 29, 2023
As a result of Cucurella’s inclusion, captain Ben Chilwell drops to the bench, and he’ll have company on the sidelines thanks to Malo Gusto, Moises Caicedo, Thiago Silva, Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez all being rested.
Your Chelsea side tonight! ?@ParimatchUK | #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/JYTJjQVeTe
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 30, 2023
The fixture does give manager, Mauricio Pochettino, a chance to experiment with his squad, and that’s why the likes of Diego Moreira, Noni Madueke, Mason Burstow and Bashir Humphreys have all been given a chance to show what they can do.
Conor Gallagher captains the side in Chilwell’s absence, and it will be interesting to see just how well Chelsea’s squad players fare in what could be a tricky tie.
Leeds United’s loss against another League Two outfit in Salford on Tuesday night should be enough of a wake-up call to the Chelsea starting XI that complacency isn’t an option.