Overview
Chelsea have been in fine form recently, having just beaten West Ham 3-0 in the Premier League London derby. The Blues opened the scoring early with Nicolas Jackson scoring in the 4th minute and then quickly dominated the game. Jackson completed an excellent day with a brace, while Cole Palmer scored the other goal.
With 3 points against West Ham, Chelsea climbed to 5th place in the Premier League, only 3 points behind the leader Manchester City. In addition, The Blues are on a 3-match unbeaten streak, winning both of their most recent matches.
With only having to meet Barrow in the next match, this will be an opportunity for coach Enzo Maresca's team to gain another positive result.
Compared to Chelsea's star players, Barrow are weaker in every aspect. Despite performing well with the last 2 wins, the Holker Street team is only a club in the English third division (EFL League Two). The total value of Barrow's squad is only 3.75 million Euros - a very modest number compared to Chelsea's 942 million Euros.
Against an opponent like Barrow, Maresca will likely leave out some of their key players and instead give a chance to some of their less-played names. Joao Felix, Mudryk, Dewsbury-Hall, Veiga, Marc Guiu or goalkeeper Jorgensen will likely start. A big win is completely within the reach of The Blues.
Human resources situation
Chelsea will be without Reece James, Malo Arthur Gusto and Romeo Lavia through injury, but with an impressive squad depth, Maresca has no shortage of options. This will be an opportunity for the Italian tactician to test out some of his new signings this summer.
On the other side of the front line, Barrow will field their strongest squad in the hope of creating a surprise at Stamford Bridge.
Expected lineup
Chelsea: Jorgensen, Disasi, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Fernandez, Veiga, Madueke, Nkunku, Dewsbury-Hall, Mudryk, Guiu.
Barrow: Farman, Feely, Vassell, Stokes, Jackson, Campbell, Foley, Kouyate, Spence, Newby, Garner.
Prediction: Chelsea 3-0 Barrow
The match between Chelsea and Barrow takes place at 1:45 am on September 25 (Vietnam time).
