Chelsea begin the 2025-26 Premier League season this Sunday, with a home game at Stamford Bridge against Crystal Palace. On first glance, this seems like a very favorable matchup to ease us into the new season. In reality, Palace will likely prove a tough challenge and put the Blues to the test — just as they did Liverpool in the Community Shield (which Palace would end up winning on penalties).
So, vibes are high on both sides, though we do begin the new season with a fairly lengthy injury list already, especially in defense. Levi Colwill tore his ACL at the start of preseason (which was just a couple weeks ago), Benoît Badiashile has been out since the Club World Cup, and Wesley Fofana is just coming back after his own (latest) extended injury layoff. Thankfully, Trevoh Chalobah appears to be alright despite a nasty-looking ankle twist in last Sunday’s friendly against AC Milan.
Roméo Lavia is also out with some injury once again (though should be back soon), while Nicolas Jackson is suspended (and may be heading to the exit door in any case). Christopher Nkunku may be in a similar boat as Jackson, though Maresca did not address his situation directly in the pre-match press conference — and neither Nico or Christo are training with the Bomb Squad™. Oh, and of course Mykhailo Mudryk is suspended for a doping violation, but apparently still under contract.
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