Chelsea lost both Levi Colwill and Ben Chilwell after their last game, reducing their options at left back to just one player – Marc Cucurella.
He’s been out since December after having ankle surgery, but is back in the team tonight for the first time.
The fact that he returns just as he’s so desperately needed feels like more than coincidence, and Mauricio Pochettino has had to assure fans that he’s not rushing the Spaniard back:
“Marc was on the bench against Brentford and he had a really good week of training, that’s why he is involved. It’s important to start with him because he’s okay.”
We’re sure he would have been eased in with a couple of sub appearances in an ideal world, but if Pochettino says he looked ready in training we just have to take his word for it.
We’ve reached the stage of the season where one has to take these risks really, and we just hope Cucurella makes it through the game unscathed. He will be needed again this weekend and beyond, with Chilwell’s injury looking serious.