The latest Chelsea injury news and return dates - including updates on the fitness of Enzo Fernández, Cole Palmer and more.
Chelsea will hope to build on back-to-back Premier League wins this Wednesday when they welcome Dutch side Ajax to Stamford Bridge in the Champions League – but they will be sweating on the fitness of at least one key player.
Enzo Fernández was left out of the squad for the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest due to an injury sustained while on international duty with Argentina, and he could be one of seven first-team players who miss out on the game against Ajax as a result.
There was plenty of good news over the weekend with a number of players, including Pedro Neto and Moisés Caicedo, overcoming knocks to be involved in the matchday squad, but there are still several players who are out or doubts – we’ve got the latest news on all of them, along with their expected return dates when available.
Will Enzo Fernández be fit to face Ajax?
Key midfielder Fernández missed out against Forest after picking up a knee injury while on international duty with Argentina – the former Benfica man was substituted late on during a friendly win over Venezuela and was sent back to Cobham early as a result.
The 24-year-old was rested over the weekend after failing to fully recover, but head coach Enzo Maresca suggested that the issue is not serious, describing the injury as a “small problem” in post-match comments – although the Italian declined to say whether he believed that Fernández would be available for the midweek match against Ajax.
As a consequence, the midfielder remains a major doubt for the Champions League tie, and could give Maresca a selection headache with key playmaker Cole Palmer also ruled out. Palmer will be unavailable until early December due to a persistent groin injury, with Maresca pledging to “protect Cole as much as we can” as he works to regain full fitness for the second half of the season.
Wesley Fofana among doubts for Chelsea’s Champions League game
Another player who failed to recover from injury in time to face Forest was the persistently-injured Wesley Fofana, who is believed to have returned to fitness following a concussion but was ultimately omitted from the matchday squad by Maresca.
Fofana could yet feature against Ajax but remains a doubt and will not be rushed back into action with Tosin Adarabioyo also back to full fitness following a knock. Fellow centre-half Benoît Badiashile, however, is out until December due to an unspecified muscular issue. Moisés Caicedo, who came back from international duty with a knock, only made the bench against Forest but could start against Ajax.
Players out for the long haul include Levi Colwill, whose ACL injury will keep him out for most or all of the campaign, Liam Delap (hamstring) who won’t return until after the November international break, and Dáriuo Essugo (thigh) who is out until early 2026 after picking up an injury training with Portugal’s Under-21s. Mykhaylo Murdryk remains suspended for an alleged doping violation, but Malo Gusto will be available despite being sent off against Nottingham Forest, with his impending ban only applying to domestic competitions.
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