Selection headache: Enzo Maresca remains without a number of key Chelsea players against Nottingham Forest
Chelsea Football Newsletter
Blues head coach Enzo Maresca confirmed at his pre-match press conference on Friday that none of that trio trained at Cobham on Thursday.
If they did not manage to train again on Friday, then he said that all three would miss the return to Premier League business at the City Ground against Ange Postecoglou’s struggling Forest side.
However, it was later reported that Neto and Fernandez were seen arriving for Friday’s session.
Benoit Badiashile is unavailable, after he was ruled out until December with a muscular injury suffered against Liverpool. Meanwhile, Chelsea have been handed a further blow after Cole Palmer was ruled out for another six weeks due to a lingering groin issue.
He was initially expected to return after the October international break, but reports later emerged of a likely comeback in November. Now he is likely not to be back in contention until December.
More positive news for Maresca is that Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana and Andrey Santos are all back fit and available for Chelsea this weekend, along with captain Reece James. Joao Pedro, who had been carrying a knock, is also fully fit once more.
Maresca will need to make changes to the side that sensationally beat Liverpool in stoppage time before the international break, because Badiashile started that match but is now injured.
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Trevoh Chalobah is back after serving a one-match suspension against Liverpool following his sending off in the 3-1 defeat at Brighton last month.
Chelsea remain without long-term injury absentees Levi Colwill, Liam Delap and Dario Essugo, plus the unavailable Mykhailo Mudryk.
Predicted Chelsea XI (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Tosin, Chalobah, Cucurella; Santos, Caicedo; Estevao, Fernandez, Gittens; Joao Pedro
Doubts: Fernandez, Caicedo, Neto
Injured: Palmer, Colwill, Delap, Essugo, Badiashile
Unavailable: Mudryk
Time and date: 12:30pm BST on Saturday October 18, 2025
Venue: City Ground, Nottingham
How to watch: TNT Sports