Enzo Maresca has confirmed both Enzo Fernandez and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are in contention to feature in Chelsea’s clash with West Ham, but Reece James, Romeo Lavia and Malo Gusto remain sidelined.
A late Christopher Nkunku strike earned Chelsea a 1-0 win away to Bournemouth last time out and Maresca’s men will look to extend their 100 per cent record on the road in the Premier League with victory at the London Stadium this weekend.
Maresca’s men were without stand-in skipper Fernandez and summer signing Dewsbury-Hall previously, with both players absent through illness at the Vitality Stadium.
Lavia, Gusto and club captain James, meanwhile, have all been struggling with muscle injuries and it appears the latter has suffered a setback in his rehabilitation.
‘Enzo is back, Kiernan is back and Reece is still out. His injury has been delayed a bit,’ Chelsea head coach Maresca said at his pre-match press conference this afternoon.
‘The most important thing is that he returns when he is 100 per cent fit, but at the moment he is still out.
‘Romeo is very close, hopefully for the next game. Unfortunately, he needs more time.
‘Malo is still out. He is not available for tomorrow’s game.’
The omission of Cole Palmer, Wesley Fofana and Lavia from Chelsea’s Europa Conference League squad was once again raised at Maresca’s presser and the Italian defended the decision to ‘protect’ the trio.
‘The reason why Cole, Wes and Romeo are out of the squad in the Europa Conference League is just to protect them a little bit,’ Maresca responded.
‘For Wes and Romeo, it’s a bit different because they came from long injuries from last year.
‘For Cole, it’s a mix in terms of being a very tough season for him, in terms of an intense season last year, and we try just to protect him.’
Jadon Sancho came on as a substitute at the halfway stage in Chelsea’s defeat of Bournemouth and there have been calls among fans for the England winger to be given the nod for Saturday’s London derby.
‘I decide the starting XI, it depends on the training session,’ Maresca told reporters.
‘Jadon is one of our wingers. I am seeing him exactly the way I was expecting him.
‘Now it’s a matter to find the right moment for him, to give him a chance.’
According to Maresca, Chelsea must find the ‘right balance’ between the physical and technical side of their game to be able to compete with the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool going forward.
‘Today, if you want to compete, you need to find the right balance between the technical side and the physical side,’ he added.
‘City, Arsenal and Liverpool have those players that are physically strong but we have that too.’
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