Chelsea midfielder to play for Under-21s in preparation for potential return vs Arsenal
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Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia is set to feature for the Under-21s against Leeds United on Friday in preparation for his potential return to the first team next weekend.
The 22-year-old sustained a thigh injury during Chelsea's 2-2 Champions League draw with Qarabag in early November and has been out since.
Liam Rosenior recently admitted that while the midfielder had already been back to training, Chelsea still have a "really detailed plan" for his recovery.
It seems that the plan may include an appearance for the development side.
Romeo Lavia 💙 pic.twitter.com/JXbtfmZwLY
— CFC Pics (@Mohxmmad) February 19, 2026
According to The Standard, Lavia is expected to be involved in Chelsea Under-21's Premier League 2 clash against Leeds United on Friday.
This could be the final stage of his recovery, after being in first-team training for the last two weeks.
This, however, rules him out of the senior team's Premier League clash with Burnley at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Instead, Chelsea reportedly hope that Lavia could show positive signs during the Under-21s match and then re-join the first team for the upcoming derby against Arsenal next weekend.
Lavia has only made seven appearances for Chelsea since the start of the season, having previously dealt with another muscular injury issue during pre-season.
He has been very unlucky with injuries throughout his Chelsea career overall.
According to Transfermarkt, he has already suffered 11 injuries and missed close to 100 games for the club across all competitions since his arrival in the summer of 2023 on a deal reportedly worth £58m.
"It's been great to see him. He's been such a great player. We all know that," Rosenior said about the Belgium international earlier this month.
"But what we have to do is make sure that when he's back, he's back for good.
"So we're just making sure that he gets the right plan over the next ten days to two weeks to achieve that."
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.