Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia will “hopefully” return to fitness after the international break, according to manager Enzo Maresca.
The Belgian international missed the 6-2 win over Wolves last weekend with what was described as a minor hamstring problem. However, Maresca has now confirmed that he will not only miss the Conference League playoff tie against Servette but also the Premier League fixture versus Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Lavia has had a terrible run of injuries since moving from Southampton for £58m last summer. He picked up an ankle problem in training last September which kept him out for several months.
When he finally returned to fitness and made his debut against Palace in December last year, he sustained a thigh injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the campaign. In total, he has spent just 105 minutes on the pitch for Chelsea.
Three other players will miss the Servette match
The absence of captain Reece James was expected from the matchday squad. The club’s medical team are being cautious with the hamstring injury he sustained in preseason and it was always thought that he would return after the first international break.
However, the fact that both Pedro Neto and Malo Gusto are absent is more surprising. Maresca stated in his pre-match press conference that the pair were not involved “just for prevention, not for any problem.”
The poor state of Servette’s pitch is likely to be the main reason. Neto’s history of injuries, combined with Gusto’s knee problems, mean it wasn’t worth taking a risk with either player.
Chelsea have a busy schedule coming up
If, as expected, the Blues do qualify for the Conference League group stages, their fixtures will begin to pile up next month. They have also been drawn against Barrow in the third round of the Carabao Cup which takes place on September 17th.
Maresca will need the full squad available to negotiate what will be a packed schedule over the coming weeks.
