Chelsea will be hoping to get back to winning ways on Monday night when they take on London rivals West Ham at Stamford Bridge.
A victory against Wolves two weeks ago was quickly forgotten about after the damning 3-1 defeat to top-four rivals Manchester City where they fell all the way to sixth in the table.
Enzo Maresca will no doubt take his share of the blame for that game, however, he was able to welcome back a number of his key players after short-term absences.
Photo by Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
Chelsea injury update ahead of West Ham game
Both Levi Colwill and Enzo Fernandez were back in the starting side just five days after missing the Wolves game through knocks.
With new signings not flowing through the door in West London, Maresca will have to rely on the group who he started the season to get the job done for the rest of the campaign, starting with Monday night against West Ham.
This will require a much stronger performance than the Blues have been showing as of late, with their run of form seeing them drop way off from the title contenders tag they were handed just a few weeks ago.
The manager stated in his pre-match press conference that the returnees had come through unscathed, and there was no one to add to the list of absentees.
He said: “No [fresh injuries]. They are exactly the same as the last one. Romeo is out, Wes is out, Benoit is out. The rest are okay.”
Photo by Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
Romeo Lavia injury update
Despite starting the opening game of the season, it has been more of the same as far as Romeo Lavia is concerned when it comes to injury problems.
After playing just 45 minutes of football at Stamford Bridge last season, the Belgian has managed just 537 minutes of Premier League football this season.
Maresca said last week that it looked as if it was another lengthy spell on the sidelines for Lavia, who must be cursing his luck since his move to Chelsea.
Update on Romeo Lavia from Enzo Maresca: "I feel sad for him. We have 16 games of the (Premier League) season left and we hope to have Romeo back for the last 10." That would suggest mid-March for a return if correct timeframe from #CFC boss
He said: “I feel sad for him. We have 16 games of the (Premier League) season left and we hope to have Romeo back for the last 10.”
This means it is likely again to be a Fernandez and Moises Caicedo midfield to take on the Hammers, as former manager Graham Potter returns to Stamford Bridge for the first time since being sacked.
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