Enzo Maresca has offered a promising update on Chelsea striker Liam Delap’s recovery ahead of their Champions League clash against 36-time Eredivisie champions Ajax on Wednesday night.
The Blues have responded impressively since their 3-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion in late September, recording three straight wins across all competitions.
Following successive victories over Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, the London side will look to secure their second Champions League triumph after edging Benfica 1-0 in their last European outing.
Although Delap won’t feature in Wednesday’s clash at Stamford Bridge, Maresca revealed the 22-year-old is nearing a return to first-team training.
The forward, who joined from Ipswich Town during the summer, sustained a severe hamstring injury in Chelsea’s third game of the campaign.
Initially ruled out for 12 weeks until December, there’s now optimism that Delap could rejoin training later this month.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Maresca said, ‘Liam is very close. He’s not working with us yet—still out—but hopefully he can start in the next few days and take part in the sessions.’
Delap’s injury prompted late-window panic within the Chelsea camp, as the club were unable to halt Nicolas Jackson’s loan switch to Bayern Munich on deadline day.
In response, Chelsea recalled Marc Guiu from his loan at Sunderland and opted to retain Tyrique George, cancelling his proposed permanent move to Fulham.
Chelsea eye second group stage win
Chelsea began their UEFA Champions League phase campaign with a 3-1 defeat against Bayern Munich, but their hard-fought 1-0 win over Benfica ensured their strong European home record remained intact.
Despite sitting 18th in the 36-team table, their upcoming opponents Ajax are faring even worse — positioned second from bottom, ahead of only Kazakh champions Kairat, after suffering back-to-back losses to Inter (0-2) and Marseille (0-4). Domestically, Ajax’s struggles continued with a 2-0 defeat to AZ Alkmaar, leaving them fourth in the Eredivisie.
This match marks the third European clash between Chelsea and Ajax, following their two group-stage meetings during the 2019–20 Champions League season.
The Blues are unbeaten in their last 12 group – or league-stage home fixtures – winning eight and drawing four – since their 2019 loss to Valencia under Frank Lampard.
They’ll be eager to extend that impressive streak and claim victory in their third-ever competitive meeting with Ajax, which also happens to be their third match of the current group stage.