Chelsea travel away from Stamford Bridge as they prepare to take on relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest at the City Ground this evening.
The Blues have three matches left to play in the Premier League, starting with this clash against Nuno Espirito Santo's side, as they aim to secure a place in a European competition for next season.
Mauricio Pochettino's men come into this match off the back of an emphatic 5-0 win over London rivals West Ham United last time out in the top-flight, which suggests that they should be full of confidence on their travels to Nottingham.
Despite the convincing scoreline, the Argentine boss could drop Mykhailo Mudryk after an underwhelming performance on the left flank, which led to GOAL reporter Mark Doyle awarding him a match rating of 5/10 and describing the winger as the 'weak link' in the team.
Pochettino must finally unleash Christopher Nkunku from the start in his place and pair him with Cole Palmer, who he could thrive alongside in the final third.
Cole Palmer's creative wizardry
The left-footed star has been a creative wizard in the Premier League this season and has the passing and crossing quality to create high-quality chances for the France international to find the back of the net.
He currently ranks within the top 11% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the division for assists per 90 (0.34), the top 7% for Expected Assisted Goals per 90 (0.36), and the top 8% for shot-creating actions per 90 (5.44).
Appearances
31
Goals
21
Assists
9
Big chances created
14
Key passes per game
2.0
As you can see in the table above, Palmer has provided a fantastic creative threat at the top end of the pitch for the Blues with 14 'big chances' created in 31 matches.
Why Christopher Nkunku should start
The French dynamo made his return from injury off the bench against West Ham last time out and should be unleashed from the start over Mudryk, as his form for RB Leipzig last term suggests that the potential is there for him to be a big player for Chelsea.
He has missed a staggering 39 games through hip, hamstring, and knee injuries for the club this season, which has severely hampered his start to life at Stamford Bridge.
Last season, Nkunku showcased his lethal nature in front of goal with an eye-catching 16 goals in 20 Bundesliga starts for Leipzig, from an xG of 14.59.
The versatile attacker also scored three goals from 1.62 xG across six starts in the Champions League for the German side, which shows that he was lethal domestically and in Europe as the 5 foot 10 marksman outperformed his xG in the Bundesliga and the Champions League.
Nkunku racked up 70 goals and 56 assists in 172 matches for Leipzig during his time in Germany but has only managed two goals in 11 games for the Blues so far, due to his disrupted campaign.
The French star, whose awareness of space was hailed as "exceptional" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has not had many opportunities to impress in England and must finally be unleashed for the first time since the 4-2 loss to Wolves in February.
Palmer's outstanding creativity could provide him with the chances he needs to thrive against Forest today, due to his xAG and shot-creating actions per 90, and that is why Pochettino should start them alongside each other in attack.