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Enzo Maresca confirms £30m Chelsea star is not fit to face Bournemouth on Saturday

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Chelsea are already beginning to suffer from the same problems that plagued them throughout the majority of last season.

The Blues were missing a large amount of players for most of the prior campaign. New signings at the time Romeo Lavia and Christopher Nkunku hardly got a kick in their first season at Stamford Bridge.

Enzo Maresca has one big conundrum to solve before the Blues get back in action at the weekend against Bournemouth in the Premier League.

He has been missing club captain Reece James since before the season got underway, and confirmed today that he still needs more time before he is ready to return.

Last game saw Malo Gusto limp off against Crystal Palace, with him choosing to withdraw from international duty as a result.

Chelsea FC v Crystal Palace FC - Premier League
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Maresca confirms Malo Gusto is not fit for Bournemouth

While there were hopes his issue would not be a big one, Maresca has confirmed that the Frenchman is not available for selection tomorrow.

He said to Football London: “Malo is still out. He is not available for tomorrow’s game.”

Maresca will now have to decide what is the best port of call from here, with no recognised first team option available.

Moises Caicedo could play at right-back

One option is to use Moises Caicedo in that position, with him having limited experience there when he used to play for Brighton.

However, Caicedo was not seen in training yesterday after his international duties, with the hours counting down until their return to domestic action.

Another option is giving a chance to Josh Acheampong to make his first start for the senior side, after making his debut late last season.

There is also Axel Disasi, who is reportedly bottom of the list when it comes to centre-backs currently at Stamford Bridge.

His best football has never been played at right-back though, meaning there is a serious decision to be made by the boss before tomorrow night.