Chelsea hit with double injury news after club release mini statement ahead of West Ham United
Enzo Maresca will be hoping he can choose from Romeo Lavia and Malo Gusto when Chelsea go to West Ham United this weekend but at the moment, that seems unlikely.
While the duo are progressing well, they are still undergoing specific sessions at Cobham as their rehabilitation programme continues. "Romeo Lavia and Malo Gusto continued their rehabilitation on Tuesday with another modified session as they continue their recovery from injury," the club posted on their official X account.
Lavia and Gusto had both been pictured on the grass at Chelsea's Surrey-based training complex earlier in the week - leading to supporters assuming the duo are back in contention ahead of this weekend's trip to the London Stadium. However, that appears not to be the case with the club's mini statement confirming they are still participating in "modified sessions" just four days (pictures released on Tuesday) before the West Ham match.
Belgian midfielder Lavia has been missing since the first-leg of the Conference League playoff versus Servette with a hamstring problem. After numerous injuries saw Lavia miss almost the entirety of the 2023/24 season with the club, it has unfortunately been another problem-filled start to the new campaign for the 20-year-old.
Meanwhile, Gusto had been an ever-present figure in Chelsea's Premier League games until the weekend's win at Bournemouth. The Frenchman limped off in the second-half of the Blues' 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace before the international break with a thigh problem that led to the right-back withdrawing from the France Under-21s squad.
Maresca will have hoped Gusto would be fit enough for this weekend and is likely to make a decision closer to the time. Chelsea have an issue at right-back with Reece James still absent with a hamstring problem, while Axel Disasi did not impress in the win against the Cherries at the weekend.
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Jadon Sancho also returned to training on Tuesday after the winger was allowed an extra day of rest on Monday following his 45-minute cameo down at the Vitality Stadium. The 24-year-old shone for Chelsea on his debut for the club; providing the match-winning assist for Christopher Nkunku on 86 minutes.
Likewise, Marc Cucurella, Nicolas Jackson, Moises Caicedo and Levi Colwill all returned to training at Cobham. Enzo Fernandez and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall both missed the win at Bournemouth due to illness but the midfield duo have been training as normal this week with hopes they will be able to feature against the Hammers on Saturday afternoon.
It is another away game for Chelsea but the Blues have fared better on the road thus far under Maresca. Both of the Italian's Premier League wins as Chelsea head coach have come away from home - beating Wolves 6-2 last month and following that up with a much more lowkey 1-0 victory against Bournemouth a few days ago.
Maresca is expected to choose a full-strength side at the London Stadium but there is expected to be a lot of rotation a few days later when Chelsea host Barrow in the Carabao Cup third round next Tuesday. The trip of League Two side Barrow is the first of four consecutive home games - in all competitions - for the Blues as they look to build some momentum under Maresca for the first time.