Chelsea’s first team squad took to the field on Sunday and put in an impressive performance against AC Milan, less than 48 hours after defeating Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 on Friday night.
Our Scout Notes article rounds up the key takeaways from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective.
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CHELSEA 4-1 AC MILAN
- Goals: Joao Pedro, Delap (x2), OG
- Assists: James, Neto, Estevao, Andrey Santos
MARESCA’S GW1 HINTS
Most Chelsea fans will tell you that the team selected by Enzo Maresca to start against AC Milan is likely to be the same side that lines up against Crystal Palace in Gameweek 1.
Big names such as Cole Palmer (£10.5m), Reece James (£5.5m) and Moises Caicedo (£5.5m) showed no signs of rustiness. The former was as lively as ever, roaming the pitch with freedom, and racked up four shots in the first half, including one that hit the crossbar from a direct free-kick.
Enzo Fernandez (£6.5m), who didn’t see any action on Friday and limped off in the FIFA Club World Cup final, came through 60 minutes unscathed.
Even with Levi Colwill’s (£5.0m) long-term injury, it seems unlikely that Wesley Fofana (£4.5m) will be thrown straight into action, despite his return to training. However, the looming threat of a player who will start when fully fit should be enough to put managers off Tosin (£4.5m) and Trevor Chalobah (£5.0m).
The latter appears to be ok after being substituted due to injury and was seen parading the UEFA Conference League trophy around the pitch after the match.
“He’s okay. It was too hot. So, he decided to go out!” – Enzo Maresca on Trevoh Chalobah
If Maresca wanted a stronger aerial presence to take on Crystal Palace’s trio of centre-backs, Liam Delap (£6.5m) did his case no harm. He scored twice off the bench.
One potential alteration to the apparent starting XI would be shifting Joao Pedro (£7.5m) to the left to accommodate the former Ipswich man, with Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (£6.5m) dropping out.
Power and precision. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/p52OPlPc08
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 10, 2025
DON’T SLEEP ON CUCURELLA
Marc Cucurella (£6.0m) has been overlooked by many FPL managers in pre-season with four £6.0m defenders having higher ownership at the time of writing.
Perhaps the successful ‘VisitMalta Weekender’ campaign has provided potential buyers with a reminder of his Fantasy upside. In just 118 minutes, Cucurella had three shots in the box, with one being deemed a big chance.
Above: Cucurella’s heatmaps v AC Milan (left) & v Bayer Leverkusen (right)
Encouragingly, the Spaniard was given license to bomb forward and pop up in the penalty box during attacks, no matter whether it was Malo Gusto (£5.0m) or James on the other side.
New signing Jarrel Hato (£5.0m) replaced Cucurella in both friendlies and despite the injury to Levi Colwill (£5.0m), has not been tried at left-centre back. However, it’s hard to imagine the Dutchman starting a Premier League match before the UEFA Champions League fixtures begin.
FIVE GOALS IN FIVE FOR PEDRO
Joao Pedro continued his red-hot form since his move to the Blues from Brighton with yet another goal. That’s now five in just 251 minutes across the Club World Cup and two pre-season friendly matches.
The Brazilian applied a guided-headed finish to a wonderful dribble and cross from Pedro Neto (£7.0m), who impressed himself, adding two shots on target and two key passes to the aforementioned assist.
The highest owned forward in FPL looks to be really enjoying himself in a Chelsea shirt and his minutes look secure against Crystal Palace’s notoriously low block. He could have had a second goal but was hauled down by Andrei Coubis, who was sent off as the last man.
Joao Pedro scores again! 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/8YU6NxcziA
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 10, 2025
“He has lots of qualities that previously, we probably lacked a little bit. He gives us lots of quality inside the box, especially against teams that play with low block, we need that quality with the small space” – Enzo Maresca on Joao Pedro
EXCITING ESTEVAO
Estevao (£6.5m) is not an FPL name for Gameweek 1 but it surely won’t be long until he is an option.
The Stamford Bridge faithful have rarely taken to an attacking player so quickly since Eden Hazard graced the hallowed turf.
The Brazilian prodigy looked at home despite his age, regularly showing off his dribbling ability, as well as winning the penalty that Delap converted (he would have had a tap-in were he not fouled). He also took corners in front of an adoring Mathew Harding stand, something he also did on Friday night.
In the round, it’s fair to say Chelsea have put to bed any narrative of a post-Club World Cup hangover. Two wins, six goals and a growing, optimistic, feel-good vibe at the club stands them in good stead for the Premier League campaign.
