Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has admitted he could be without several key players for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Brentford.
The Blues face their west London rivals in an evening kick-off, but Maresca revealed his squad is still dealing with the impact of injuries and long-distance travel.
Chelsea already have a growing injury list. Liam Delap is reportedly out for up to three months, while Levi Colwill and Dario Essugo remain sidelined.
Romeo Lavia and Benoît Badiashile are not yet ready to return, and Cole Palmer is only just easing back into training after a groin problem.
Adding to that, Maresca faces uncertainty over four South American internationals who only returned to London this week.
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What Enzo Maresca said?
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Maresca admitted: “The three Brazilian players arrived yesterday. They didn’t train. They did some recovery sessions. Moi arrived last night, so I didn’t see him. I will see him today. For all of them it is a question mark for tomorrow.”
The players in question are Moises Caicedo, Joao Pedro, Estevao, and Andrey Santos.
All were involved in World Cup qualifiers, with Brazil’s trio traveling back from Bolivia and Caicedo sent off in Ecuador’s clash with Argentina.
Maresca stressed how the altitude and late return could affect their readiness.
On Cole Palmer, the Chelsea boss added: “He is recovering from an injury. It’s not managing him, it’s recovering from an injury. When he is available, we need to manage him because of the amount of games.”
A tricky balancing act
The situation leaves Maresca with difficult choices ahead of the derby. Chelsea are still searching for rhythm this season, and a depleted squad could make the trip to Brentford even tougher.
Brentford away is rarely an easy fixture, and Maresca will need to get his lineup spot on if Chelsea are to bring home the points.
