Marc Cucurella’s late sending off in last weekend’s victory over Brentford has handed Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca a headache ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Everton. Cucurella picked up a booking deep into stoppage time as the Blues clung on to a 2-1 win over their west London rivals at Stamford Bridge but was then shown a second yellow card for his part in a fracas after the final whistle.
With the Spaniard suspended for one game for the second time this season and club captain Reece James still sidelined with a hamstring injury, Maresca is short at full-back. Here are the Italian’s options ahead of the Blues’s final Premier League trip to Goodison Park, where victory would take Chelsea top of the table, at least until Liverpool play Tottenham later on Sunday afternoon.
Renato Veiga’s versatility has so far mainly been utilised in the Conference League, but the Portuguese international could come straight into the league team as the closest thing to a like-for-like replacement for Cucurella at left-back. Veiga, who was signed from Swiss side Basel in the summer, can play in midfield and at centre-back but has most commonly been used on the left of defence.
The 21-year-old has started only one league game for Chelsea, the 1-0 victory over Bournemouth in September, but has impressed in Europe and scored in the 3-1 win away to Astana earlier this month. Though primarily a right-back, Malo Gusto can play on both flanks and started at left-back on Chelsea’s last trip to Merseyside, to face Liverpool earlier this season.
