There’s already been several Chelsea players withdraw from international duty this week, and one Blues star will now undergo a fitness check with his country.
As expected, plenty of Chelsea stars received call-ups for their respective nations during the November break. However, a few of them have already withdrawn and returned to Cobham.
Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill have left the England camp, while Wesley Fofana has exited the France squad.
Chelsea attacker Palmer was spotted limping after Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw against Arsenal, so perhaps it’s not the biggest surprise to see him withdraw from England duty.
Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia confesses injury test
Chelsea star Romeo Lavia, 20, was called up to the Belgium senior squad during November’s international break for the first time since March 2023.
The young midfielder has just admitted that he’ll undergo a test on a potential injury, but he does expect to be alright.
“I received a small knock, at the moment, we are testing to see if it’s okay, but it should be okay, I think,” Lavia told RTL.
Belgium face Italy on Thursday night in the Nations League before playing Israel on Sunday in the same competition. Will the Chelsea midfielder be available to earn his second international cap, though?
Lavia recently claimed he’s still got many more gears to go through in his game, but it’s been a treat seeing him back on the football pitch after a long-term injury that decimated his debut season at Stamford Bridge last year.
The defensive midfielder has started to find some rhythm, starting the previous four Premier League games in a row before the international break.
Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo the Chelsea engine room
Enzo Maresca, the Chelsea manager, has stumbled across his team’s best midfield in recent weeks. The pairing of Lavia and Moises Caicedo in central midfield has immediately impressed.
Darren Bent is a big fan of Lavia and Caicedo in the same Chelsea midfield, which has been the preferred starting combination in the last few league matches.
While it’s unfortunate that Enzo Fernandez has dropped down to the bench, the Lavia-Caicedo pivot is thriving as a midfield with so much balance both on and off the ball.
| Player | Accurate passes per 90 | Successful tackles per 90 | Interceptions per 90 |
| Romeo Lavia | 43.8 | 1.3 | 1.8 |
| Moises Caicedo | 47.6 | 2.3 | 1.7 |
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