“April fools”, “Should have started over Mudryk” – Chelsea fans blast ‘criminal’ decision to leave out attacker from line-up to face Aston Villa

Chelsea fans are unhappy with Graham Potter's decision not to name Noni Madueke in the starting lineup for their home clash against Aston Villa on April 1.

The youngster arrived at the club from PSV Eindhoven in January and has made four appearances. During his short stint, Madueke has already earned plaudits from the fans for his performances.

Meanwhile, Kepa Arrizablaga starts in goal for Chelsea against the Villans. Reece James, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella, and Ben Chilwell are the four defenders. Enzo Fernandez, Mateo Kovacic, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are the three midfielders for Potter's side.

Mykhaylo Mudryk, Joao Felix, and Kai Havertz have formed the attacking trio.

Fans, however, claimed that Madueke should have been in the lineup.

One fan wrote on Twitter:

"No madueke? Say april fools right now."

Another fan claimed Madueke should have started over another January signing, Mudryk. He wrote:

"Madueke should have started over Mudryk."

Here are some of the best reactions across Twitter after Noni Madueke was left out of Chelsea's lineup for the Premier League clash against Aston Villa:

The Blues are 10th in the league heading into the game. They have 38 points from 27 matches. Aston Villa, meanwhile, are 11th with the same points.

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Chelsea boss Graham Potter spoke about N'Golo Kante's injury

Midfielder N'Golo Kante has been a stalwart for Chelsea in recent seasons. The Frenchman, however, has spent the majority of the 2022-23 campaign on the sidelines due to injuries.

Kante, though, is fit and could be back in action soon. Speaking about the Frenchman, Potter said ahead of the clash against Aston Villa (via the Blues' official website):

"It's hard to really know when he can play again but we've done really well with him and he's worked so hard that he's back in a good place, in good condition. We all know how good he is, he is a top, top player. He can help any team and for sure he can help us."

Potter added:

'We have a lot of games coming up. N’Golo can’t play every single minute in all of them but he can certainly help us in some and that's fantastic for us."

Kante has already won the UEFA Champions League and the Premier League since joining the Blues from Leicester City in 2016. He has made just two appearances this season.