Moises Caicedo
Moises Caicedo is another player who is a regular feature in this list due to his meteoric rise for the Blues this season. After a slow start to his Chelsea career, Caicedo has stepped up this campaign to be one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
The Ecuadorian has the most tackles for a midfielder in the Premier League and is only behind Ryan Gravenberch in terms of interceptions this season, which is an indication of how brilliant he has been for Chelsea.
Still only 23, Caicedo still has a long way to go. His ability on the ball has levelled up since last season and he is easily one of the key players for Chelsea in transition.
Against Ipswich, Caicedo will have to showcase a lot of his on-ball brilliance as Chelsea will have more possession. A recurring theme has been complacency with the possession and Ipswich have the likes of Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson who will not shy away from taking the Blues on and trying to test Robert Sanchez.
Noni Madueke
Noni Madueke has been the poster boy of Maresca's tough love treatment. Since the Italian has been at the club, he has called out the English winger several times for his dropping levels in training. However, unlike a lot of footballers, Madueke seems to rise from the criticism by dropping sensational performances.
If past has been any indication of that, Ipswich would be that kind of a game for the 22-year-old. His ability to take players on is something Chelsea has seen for the past two seasons. But this campaign, he has added goals to his tally and become one of Chelsea's key players.
This has come with a few hiccups as Maresca has dropped him to the bench and even went as far as axing him from the squad in the defeat against Fulham. While it is not great for a young player to get called out for a drop in intensity during training, Madueke is someone who makes up for it by dropping a stellar performance during games.
Ipswich are not a team that sits on a low block and invite teams to attack them and this means Chelsea will have chances in the game. If given a start, Madueke will be a key player as he has all the tools needed to break down the Ipswich defence and help the Blues end 2024 with a win.