Chelsea’s medical department is beginning to loosen up with captain Reece James back for the first time in 140 days while summer signing Lesley Ugochukwu could also return to provide options in midfield ahead of the game at Nottingham Forest this weekend.
The return of James in particular will provide England manager Gareth Southgate with something to think about as he puts together his team for the Euros this summer.
Lesley hasn’t also played this year and Pochettino has been forced to rely on Conor Gallagher, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo for large parts of the campaign. The former Spurs man also lost Fernandez at the tail end of the season so he’ll be delighted to have Lesley back for the last three games of the campaign.
Also, Christopher Nkunku, Raheem Sterling, Thiago Silva, Axel Disasi, Malo Gusto and Levi Colwill all returned in last weekend's thumping 5-0 win over West Ham so Pochettino is likely to go with a full house as he looks to pile pressure on both Newcastle United and Tottenham in the race to secure Europa League football for next season.
Following their 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge in September - Nottingham Forest are looking to complete their first league double over Chelsea since 1978-79, when they were reigning top-flight champions under Brian Clough.
Chelsea will know that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are fighting for their lives, so this won’t be a walk in the park. With that in mind, this is the Chelsea team we anticipate Pochettino will put out.
1. Djordje Petrovic
He would have been delighted to have kept back-to-back clean sheets. | AFP via Getty Images
2. Trevoh Chalobah
Made a massive difference playing at the heart of defence or as a full back. | Getty Images
3. Marc Cucurella
He's just been unreal lately. | Getty Images
4. Malo Gusto
Expected to start. | Getty Images