Chelsea lineup vs. Tottenham: Predicted XI for Premier League London derby amid Liam Delap suspension blow

Chelsea striker Liam Delap will serve a one-match suspension when the Blues face Tottenham Hotspur away from home in Saturday's Premier League London derby.

The summer signing returned from injury off the bench in Wednesday's 4-3 EFL Cup fourth-round win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, but he was only on the pitch for 25 minutes before being dismissed for two bookable offences.

As red cards count across all competitions, Delap will sit out Saturday's derby after his "very stupid" dismissal, in the words of his manager Enzo Maresca.

The striker will therefore form part of a sextet of absentees for the visitors, who are also without the services of Cole Palmer (groin), Dario Essugo (thigh), Benoit Badiashile (muscle), Levi Colwill (knee) and Mykhaylo Mudryk (doping suspension) for the time being.

Before Delap returned from his thigh problem, Maresca went with Marc Guiu up front and Joao Pedro just behind him in last weekend's 2-1 loss to Sunderland, but the Italian could now consider an alteration.

Andrey Santos was one of the stars of the show for Chelsea in midweek with a goal and assist, so the Brazilian could operate in the number 10 slot behind Pedro, who will also receive support from Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto.

Jamie Gittens could hardly have done more for a start here - setting up two goals and scoring a cracker of his own at Molineux - but he admitted to fatigue after the game, so a well-rested Garnacho should be given priority.

Further back, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo will return to the double pivot, while a full complement of changes at the back should see Robert Sanchez, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah and Marc Cucurella all come back in.

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Sanchez; James, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Neto, Santos, Garnacho; Pedro

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

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