Enzo Maresca, the manager of Chelsea, has announced that Tyrique George and Carney Chukwuemeka, two young Nigerians, would be included in the matchday squad for Chelsea’s Carabao Cup third-round match against Barrow at Stamford Bridge tomorrow.
The Blues will look to atone for their tight loss to Liverpool in the championship game last year, and they aim to start with a victory over the team atop the League Two standings.
Chukwuemeka, Tyrique George to make Enzo Maresca’s squad
Chukwuemeka and George may be among the players to gain from the several changes the Premier League heavyweights are anticipated to make to the lineup that began in the weekend’s triumph over West Ham United.
This season, Chukwuemeka has not yet been included in the matchday squad; Roméo Lavia, Kieran Dewsbury-Hall, and Enzo Fernández are all above him in the hierarchy.
George is expected to play for the second time after making one appearance, coming on as a substitute in the second leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifications against Servette.
Enzo Maresca confirms Chukwuemeka, George inclusion
Ahead of tomorrow’s match, Maresca was questioned about the potential inclusion of the two Nigerian-eligible players, Josh Acheampong and Ben Chilwell, who recently made a shock return into the Italian’s squad after being initially banished.
He confirmed that they would be part of the matchday squad, saying, per Football London,
“The ones you just mentioned are going to be in the squad for tomorrow.
“Some of them, we will see if they start from the beginning. But if not, they are all going to be on the bench and hopefully we can give them some moments.”
Due to the congested fixture list, Maresca will need to rotate his squad, giving fringe players a chance to see action.