Chelsea now have possible return date for Benoit Badiashile in major boost to Enzo Maresca

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Chelsea could welcome back their injured defender Benoit Badiashile very soon.

The 24-year-old has not played since the Blues’ 2-1 win against Liverpool in October because of a muscle problem.

At the start of this month, Enzo Maresca gave an update on Badiashile, revealing that he could return after the international break.

The Frenchman now looks to be very close to making his comeback for Chelsea.

• READ MORE: The real reason Chelsea will be desperate for Benoit Badiashile to return after Enzo Maresca update

Benoit Badiashile could return for Burnley

According to football.london, there is a chance of Badiashile making the Chelsea squad for next weekend’s game against Burnley.

With the Club World Cup winners facing Barcelona a few days later in the Champions League, it would be a positive development if the France international could get some minutes before then.

Maresca has had issues in central defence this season, with Levi Colwill still out injured.

Recently, Chelsea have been linked with Newcastle United’s Sven Botman. While he has been a solid defender for the Magpies since arriving in the Premier League, statistically, Botman’s passing is not as good as Badiashile’s.

Ahead of their Champions League tie with Barcelona, Chelsea will also be hoping to have Cole Palmer back.

How Benoit Badiashile fared in his last outing

Chelsea fans will be desperate for Badiashile to be available for selection again following his performance against Liverpool.

The former AS Monaco man defended very well that day, while his passing was efficient. For example, he made 45 accurate passes, giving him a pass success rate of 94%.

Both Badiashile and Josh Acheampong caught Frank Leboeuf’s attention as they restricted the threat of Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo.

“I was very surprised by Benoit Badiashile and Josh Acheampong,” the Chelsea legend said. “Very strong, organised, talking and covering for each other. They were absolutely outstanding.”

If Badiashile plays against Burnley and can put in a similar performance to his last one at Stamford Bridge, the Blues have a great chance of winning the match and keeping a clean sheet.

Maresca will want to be very cautious with the centre-half, though, so he is likely to start on the bench if he is fit enough to make the matchday squad.