SaqEnzo Maresca could be forced to experiment in defence when Chelsea return from the international break.
The Blues were held to a draw by Crystal Palace last time out, leaving them 11th in the table after a somewhat inconsistent start to the season.
Chelsea travel to face Bournemouth on Saturday and could be without Malo Gusto and Reece James at right-back, leaving Maresca short of options.
Cole Palmer has also suffered an injury, having withdrawn from England duty.
Here’s a look at the latest news Chelsea injury news…
Cole Palmer
Palmer was called up to the England squad for the games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland but withdrew last week due to “ongoing issues” and returned to Chelsea.
Reports suggest Palmer is suffering from muscle fatigue and has been left out of the Blues’ Europa Conference League squad to help manage his workload.
The 22-year-old is not expected to be sidelined for a long period and should be available after being rested during the international break.
Potential return date: September 14 vs Bournemouth
Reece James
Another hamstring injury has kept James out of the first three Premier League games of the season, although he would have been suspended for those anyway following his red card against Brighton in May.
Maresca has not given any update on his progress, but The Telegraph reports that the right-back is still a few weeks away from returning to training.
Potential return date: End of September 2024
Bad taste
In James’ absence, Chelsea could find themselves short at right-back, with concerns also over Gusto’s fitness.
The right-back was forced off the pitch against Crystal Palace before the international break with a thigh injury and subsequently withdrew from the France U21 squad as a result, leaving him a significant doubt for this weekend’s trip to face Bournemouth.
Maresca said after the Palace game: “We’ll see what happens. It looks like a muscular problem and we’ll see.”
Potential return date: September 21 vs West Ham
Romeo Lavia
Lavia started the season opener against Manchester City but has missed the last two league games with a hamstring problem.
Maresca described it as “not a major concern”, allaying fears of another major problem after Lavia was absent for almost all of last season.
Potential return date: September 14 vs Bournemouth
Saq
