Predicted Chelsea line-up vs Charlton: Rosenior to field rotated side in debut match
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Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior is expected to rotate his team in his debut match against Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup third-round tie on Saturday.
Ideally, Rosenior would have liked to field his strongest side to maximise the chance that he started his Chelsea career with a win.
However, Chelsea had a rough mid-week, in which they played with 10 men for the majority of the match in their defeat to neighbouring rivals Fulham.
In addition to that, Rosenior will also have to keep in mind the upcoming Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg clash against Arsenal on Wednesday.
Rotation is arguably a necessity.
Focus turns to the #EmiratesFACup. 👊 pic.twitter.com/Csly3SGa2L
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 8, 2026
It will be interesting to see if Rosenior decides to keep Chelsea's current 4-2-3-1 system or try to implement the 3-4-2-1 formation he mostly used at Strasbourg.
While there are similarities between the two systems, the Chelsea head coach has only had two training sessions before making the trip to The Valley, it would still be risky to implement a new system in such a limited time.
Chelsea are, therefore, expected to stay with a back-four for the next few games.
Filip Jorgensen has started in all of Chelsea's domestic cup games this season, so the Dane will likely be given the nod to start against Charlton.
At right back, Malo Gusto should start if he is fit, while on the left, Jorrel Hato will be the obvious choice, with Marc Cucurella serving a one-match suspension.
For the centre-back pairing, Josh Acheampong and Benoit Badiashile should provide the freshest legs in these positions.
In midfield, Andrey Santos, who only featured for less than half an hour at Fulham, should start.
The Brazil international will likely play alongside Enzo Fernandez, although if Dario Essugo is to make an injury return, this would be the perfect opportunity.
On-loan midfielder Facundo Buonanotte has not featured in almost a month, so he is expected to start as a number 10.
Meanwhile, Estevao and Jamie Gittens would likely start on the left and the right flank, respectively.
Up front, Marc Guiu, who just turned 20 last week, is due another chance to start, which will give Liam Delap and Joao Pedro the opportunity to rest.
Predicted Chelsea line up (4-2-3-1) vs Charlton
Goalkeeper: Filip Jorgensen
Defenders: Malo Gusto, Josh Acheampong, Benoit Badiashile, Jorrel Hato
Midfielders; Andrey Santos, Enzo Fernandez, Facundo Buonanotte
Forwards: Estevao, Marc Guiu, Jamie Gittens
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.