Enzo Maresca will be massively boosted in a few days' time with the likes of Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson all set to return from injury.
Palmer suffered a minor knock around 24 hours before the Blues were beaten at Arsenal in the game before the international break. Meanwhile, Jackson has been absent since February 3 with a hamstring injury, while Madueke suffered a similar problem 11 days later in the 3-0 defeat to Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
While Palmer was missed against the Gunners, Chelsea will be thankful it was just one game he missed due to the timing of the international break. The absence of Jackson and Madueke, however, has been pretty severe from a Chelsea point of view. Jackson's injury forced the Blues to reshuffle their whole attacking setup, while Madueke not being available took away their highest scoring winger.
Jackson has been Maresca's go-to No.9 when available but the striker's absence forced the Chelsea head coach to experiment with different options through the middle. Pedro Neto has been used in an unorthodox position, Madueke, meanwhile, is Chelsea's top goalscorer from the wing this season, with the 23-year-old England international finding the back of the net on eight occasions in all competitions throughout 2024/25.
Having all three of them available for the visit of Tottenham will be crucial for Chelsea, with just nine matches of the Premier League season remaining. The Blues are in a brilliant position to achieve this season's targets with a Champions League spot set to be available for finishing in fifth-place. Chelsea, though, will be hoping to finish inside the top four in what would be a terrific achievement for Maresca in his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge.
First and foremost, the west Londoners need to show their bounce-back ability against Spurs after losing to Arsenal before the break. We could see a few changes to the side that was beaten at the Emirates Stadium, with the aforementioned trio all in contention to start on Thursday evening.
Neto could move to a more conventional winger, most likely on the left if Madueke returns. That would mean Jadon Sancho dropping to the bench, with the loanee not having the best of times recently. Enzo Fernandez could drop a bit deeper with Palmer set to return. We could see captain Reece James in his natural right-back role, more to facilitate the other players than anything else.
Christopher Nkunku failed to take advantage of more game time during Jackson's absence, meaning he could drop back to the bench on Thursday. Benoit Badiashile, too, could make way at Stamford Bridge with Wesley Fofana returning to the centre of defence.
Possible Chelsea line-up: Sanchez; James, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson.
Madueke, so long as he is match-ready, will slot straight back in on the right wing. Jackson, also, will lead the line. Those two, while being versatile, have those positions essentially nailed down and had done prior to their injuries. Neto is viewed more as a right winger but due to the circumstances at the moment, the Portugal international could well be used on the opposite flank.
Whatever side Chelsea put out on Thursday, the Blues will be confident against a Tottenham side they have a very strong record against and a team that currently sits in 14th-place in the Premier League table.