Enzo Maresca has seen a midfielder suffer a fresh injury blow.placeholder image
Enzo Maresca has seen a midfielder suffer a fresh injury blow. | AFP via Getty Images
Enzo Maresca looks set to be without a key Chelsea midfielder for the trip to Molineux.
Chelsea had to come from behind to rescue a draw against Qarabag in midweek but are now unbeaten in three ahead of this weekend’s trip to Wolves.
The hosts are under the interim management of James Collins following the sacking of Vitor Pereira. The Midlands outfit sit rock bottom of the Premier League table but could present a potential banana skin fixture given the change in leadership.
Enzo Maresca tried to rotate his team in midweek but was forced to use his bench with one key player coming off injured early. Here’s your team news.
Wolves team news
Wolves will be without Emmanuel Agbadou after he picked up a red card in the 3-0 defeat to Fulham last time out. Matt Doherty and Rodrigo Gomes are doubts for the visit of Chelsea.
The duo picked up problems in the Carabao Cup defeat to Chelsea last week. Speaking at the time, former Wolves boss Vitor Pereira said: “Two problems today. Doherty and Rodrigo (Gomes). I don’t know if it’s serious or not. But bad news.”
Leon Chiwome remains a long term absentee with a knee injury picked up in January.
Doubts - Matt Doherty, Rodrigo Gomes. Outs - Emmanuel Agbadou, Leon Chiwome.
Chelsea team news
Chelsea will surely be without Romeo Lavia against Wolves on Saturday afternoon. The 21-year-old limped off after five minutes of action against Qarabag in midweek.
Lavia has been plagued with injuries since arriving at Stamford Bridge and is expected to undergo scans back in the UK to see how bad the latest problem is. Speaking after the match, Maresca said: “We feel a shame for him, especially for him.
“He's not able to be fit for a long, long period. We will see now. It's too early to understand what kind of injury. I think it's his quad.”
Pedro Neto came off injured against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening and missed out on the Champions League fixture. Maresca said that was a ‘small issue’, which could suggest a return against Wolves but a wait until after the international break could be more likely.
Cole Palmer remains a longer term absentee with a potential December return pencilled in. Benoit Badiashile is also out until next month. Levi Colwill will miss the majority of the season with an ACL problem and Dario Essugo is also sidelined.
Doubts - Pedro Neto. Outs - Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer, Benoit Badiashile, Levi Colwill, Dario Essugo.
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