Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca will have to work around Trevoh Chalobah's absence for Tuesday's Premier League visit of Southampton to Stamford Bridge.

The centre-back succumbed to a back injury after just eight minutes of Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, although Maresca is hopeful that his problem is only a minor one.

However, Chalobah needs at least a week to recover and has been ruled out of the visit of the Saints, which Omari Kellyman, Noni Madueke, Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana, Nicolas Jackson, Romeo Lavia, Marc Guiu (all thigh) and Mykhaylo Mudryk (suspended) will also miss.

Tosin Adarabioyo was summoned to replace Chalobah at Villa Park and should now come in from the first whistle alongside Marc Cucurella, Levi Colwill and Malo Gusto, thus forcing Josh Acheampong to watch on from the bench.

Maresca is also facing a critical call in goal after Filip Jorgensen's howler for Marco Asensio's winner at the weekend, but the Scandinavian should be given a chance to redeem himself as the error-strewn Robert Sanchez remains in reserve.

Captain Reece James lasted the full 90 on Saturday in an unfamiliar midfield role, but two starts in four days might be too much for the injury-plagued Englishman, so Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall might earn a rare opportunity alongside Moises Caicedo in the centre of the park.

Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer and makeshift striker Pedro Neto all ought to reprise their attacking roles, but after Christopher Nkunku struggled to make his mark on the left versus Villa, Jadon Sancho could now return.

Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Jorgensen; Gusto, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella; Dewsbury-Hall, Caicedo; Palmer, Fernandez, Sancho; Neto

> Click here to see how Southampton could line up for this game

Written by
Ben Knapton