Chelsea beat Brentford 2-0 last Saturday and did it without Estevao Willian, who has been one of their best players this season.
Liam Rosenior would have liked to have had Estevao for that game, especially considering how well he played against Arsenal.
Estevao Willian was unreal against Arsenal 🔥
Chelsea fans, where can he still improve?
Estevao Willian's stats vs Arsenal
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Chelsea still managed to get the job done in the end, though, thanks to goals from Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer.
Chelsea are now set to play against Pafos in the Champions League, needing a win after losing to Atalanta last time out in the competition.
Reece James of Chelsea FC expresses disappointment
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Estevao Willian training ahead of Pafos clash
Estevao only missed the Brentford match because of a fever, so the winger was never likely to be out for long.
Journalist Bobby Vincent has now seen Estevao in Chelsea’s open training session ahead of Wednesday night’s game against Pafos.
Malo Gusto and Jamie Gittens were spotted, too, after also missing last weekend’s west London derby.
Gusto has been training since Monday, so the defender definitely looks to have recovered from his injury problem.
As for his Brazilian teammate, if he plays this week, a lot of eyes will be on him. When it comes to dribbling, Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala has put Estevao up there with Jay-Jay Okocha.
Estevao of Chelsea looks on during a Chelsea FC Training Session
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Liam Rosenior should save Estevao Willian for weekend
Chelsea cannot underestimate Pafos, especially considering the predicament they are in right now.
Opta’s supercomputer has predicted Chelsea to finish outside the top eight, which would mean having to compete in a play-off tie to reach the knockout round.
Still, an attack consisting of the likes of Pedro Neto, Jamie Gittens and Liam Delap, for example, should be enough to beat Pafos at home.
Which changes would YOU make to face Pafos? 🖋️
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With that in mind, Rosenior should hold Estevao back now and then unleash him against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
The Chelsea manager may be thinking about starting the Brazilian on Wednesday before rotating him at the weekend, but doing the opposite may be the better way to go. Chelsea will need Estevao’s skill and flair against Palace’s low-block.
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