Chelsea travel to Nottingham Forest on Saturday looking to build on their recent 2-1 win over Liverpool, but there are some injury concerns for Enzo Maresca
Chelsea are due to return to the pitch after the international break against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, but manager Enzo Maresca has several injury concerns to deal with. The Blues had a stunning 2-1 victory over current Premier League champions Liverpool before the break, ending their winning streak in the league at three games.
Maresca’s side will look to build on this victory when they take on a struggling Forest side on Saturday at 12:30pm. Ange Postecoglou’s team are currently without a win in seven games in all competitions since taking charge on September 9, and are believed to be struggling to avoid being sacked.
Both teams will go into the decisive clash at the City Ground with injury problems. Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer was substituted in the first half of the Blues’ game against Manchester United on September 20th due to a groin injury.
The 23-year-old has missed Chelsea’s last four games in all competitions and is not expected to return until November.
Palmer was subsequently left out of England’s recent games against Wales and Latvia. Manager Thomas Tuchel warned Palmer that the injury could become “chronic” if not managed properly.
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And when asked about the injury, Maresca said: “Well, we decided to protect Cole a little bit so that he doesn’t get hurt any worse. So we decided to rest him for the next couple of weeks, probably until the international break, to see if that rest allows him to recover to 100 percent and be fully fit after the international break.”
“No, I don’t think he needs surgery, it’s just a matter of managing the pain and groin, which could happen depending on the number of games.
“This is why we will be careful to give him rest and hope he will be back to 100 per cent after the international break.”
Meanwhile, Liam Delap picked up a hamstring problem during Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Fulham just before the last international break. Thankfully, the 22-year-old forward, who was brought in by the Blues from Ipswich Town for £30m during the summer, did not require a feared surgery.
However, Dario Essugo suffered a thigh problem during international duty in September. The Portugal Under-21 midfielder, who Chelsea scouted from Sporting CP this summer, has suffered an injury and has entered a recovery program at Cobham training ground, the club have revealed.
Chelsea’s Levi Colwill, who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the start of pre-season, was the last player to miss Saturday’s match. The 22-year-old defender’s absence will be painful for Maresca, but the Chelsea manager will not want to rush his return and risk exacerbating the problem.
Enzo Fernandes returned early from international duty due to inflammation in his right knee, but the situation remains uncertain. Maresca is expected to provide an update on Fernandes’ condition at a press conference Friday morning.
As for Forest, it is still unclear whether Oleksandr Zinchenko has recovered from his groin problem. Meanwhile, fellow full-back Ola Aina has undergone hamstring surgery and will be out for an extended period of time.
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