Chelsea's dire fitness problems are finally starting to ease amid a packed fixture schedule. The Blues are set for a major double injury boost as Enzo Fernandez and Liam Delap look to be on track for an early return.
Enzo Fernandez, who missed Saturday’s 3-0 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest due to a knee problem, has returned to Chelsea training. Despite the initial concern, his manager insisted that the issue was “not a big problem”. His status had been in question for Wednesday’s Champions League visit of Ajax at Stamford Bridge. However, the influential midfielder has been back training at Cobham in preparation for the game.
Enzo Maresca, Chelsea manager, said:
"Enzo took part in the session yesterday. We have one more session this afternoon. We will see what we decide with him tomorrow. But we said before [that] it was not something we have to be worried about. It was just to try to protect Enzo.”
Delap's comeback from injury
£30million summer signing Delap has not played since injuring his hamstring against Fulham in August. There were fears that he would not be back until November or possibly December. However, Maresca revealed that Delap is very close to returning and could start training with the team soon.
Enzo Maresca added:
"Liam is very close. He is not working with us yet. He is still out but hopefully he can start in the next days [training] with us.”
Delap’s injury led to an eventful end of summer transfer window at Chelsea which saw fellow forward Marc Guiu recalled from his season-long loan spell at Sunderland after just a few weeks and Nicolas Jackson joining Bayern Munich.
The Blues welcomed Andrey Santos and Tosin Adarabioyo back from injury over the weekend while Reece James and Joao Pedro both completed 90 minutes against Forest after respective knocks. Pedro Neto was deemed fit enough to start after an earlier scare. Moises Caicedo made it onto pitch as a half-time substitute despite ongoing fitness issues while Wesley Fofana was omitted from the squad entirely despite having recovered from a concussion sustained in the Carabao Cup win over Lincoln last month.
Persistent injuries
Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer has been ruled out for a further six weeks due to his persistent groin injury. Benoit Badiashile is also expected to be out until December with a muscular complaint. Dario Essugo and Levi Colwill are both long-term absentees, while Mykhailo Mudryk remains unavailable for selection.
Malo Gusto will be available to play against Ajax following his red card at Forest but will be suspended for Sunderland’s visit to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Saturday.
Chelsea's fitness problems seem to be easing up with key players making their return. This is good news for fans and sports betting enthusiasts alike as it could potentially strengthen Chelsea's performance in upcoming matches.
