Estevao Willian and Andrey Santos will return to the Chelsea starting lineup when they take on Qarabag FK at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium on Wednesday.

Chelsea will aim to continue the recent winning run when they lock horns with Qarabag FK in a UEFA Champions League tie at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium on Wednesday evening. Enzo Maresca received a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.

Pedro Neto is the latest absentee after picking up a knock this past weekend against Tottenham Hotspur. However, Joao Pedro has served his suspension in the UEFA Champions League, while Liam Delap is only unavailable for domestic games. Meanwhile, Levi Colwill (knee), Benoit Badiashile (muscular), Dario Essugo (hamstring), and Cole Palmer (groin) remain in the treatment room.

Additionally, Mykhailo Mudryk is serving a suspension after failing a doping test several months ago. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Maresca confirmed Neto’s absence and discussed the challenge of playing against Qarabag.

The Chelsea manager said, “Not a problem, just a small issue. So we try to protect him. He is not involved in tomorrow’s game. It’s an important game because it can give us three wins in a row in the Champions League and it can give us nine points.”

“For sure, we need to rotate some of the players [against Qarabag] because we arrive back in London on Thursday morning at 6am, then on Saturday we have another game. So it’s a demanding schedule and we will try to adapt and do our best.”

Maresca also provided fitness updates on Palmer and Badiashile. He said, “We go day by day with Cole. He isn’t taking part in any sessions with the team. But we could have Benoit Badiashile available after the international break.”

Robert Sanchez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Qarabag FK on Wednesday. The backline will feature Malo Gusto, Josh Acheampong, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Marc Cucurella.

As for the midfield unit, Moises Caicedo and Andrey Santos will pair up in the double pivot, with the returning Joao Pedro reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Marc Guiu will spearhead the Chelsea attack against Qarabag, with Estevao Willian and Jamie Gittens being the two wide attackers.

Predicted Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Acheampong, Adarabioyo, Cucurella; Caicedo, Santos; Estevao, Joao Pedro, Gittens; Guiu