Head coach Enzo Maresca confirmed to the media that winger Pedro Neto will miss the Champions League clash against Qarabag due to a minor issue.
The one who made a great difference for the Blues in the match against Tottenham Hotspur with his assist, was not involved in training session at Cobham earlier today. Maresca explained that the reason for Pedro Neto’s absence is only a precautionary measure and that the player is still in good shape.
Squad Rotation and Travel Plans
On Wednesday, Chelsea will travel to Baku to play against Qarabag. They intend to keep English time to avoid jet lag. Maresca was aware of the heavy calendar and said that he may do some changes in his starting eleven. He underlined that it is very important to change the team with another game of the Premier League coming very shortly after their return from Azerbaijan. The coach went on to say how important it is to get the third win in a row in the group stage to get nine points and make qualification safer.
Injury Updates and Key Returns
Levi Colwill and Dario Essugo are still on the injured list, while Cole Palmer and Benoit Badiashile are working on their comeback. Maresca said that Palmer is still doing his workout alone but it seems very likely that Badiashile will be back after the international break. After his suspension, striker Liam Delap is once again able to play and is most likely going to be on the team against Qarabag.
🚨 Enzo Maresca on Palmer and Badiashile being back soon:
"We hope so but with Cole, we try to schedule the beginning and then we need to review that. We go day by day with Cole. He is not taking any sessions with the team. We have Benoit Badiashile that can probably be… pic.twitter.com/i0n7lohRhq
— Chelsea Dodgers (@TheBlueDodger) November 4, 2025
Author’s View
The way Maresca is doing things shows that he is trying to find a good equilibrium between taking care of the injured and going forward with the wins. His point about the necessity of the rotation underlines the presence of the Chelsea squad and their capability to adapt in case of a heavy schedule.
As featured on Chelseanews.com