Enzo Maresca confirms fresh Chelsea injury blow ahead of Liverpool clash
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Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has confirmed that midfielder Andrey Santos picked up an injury during the match with Brighton last weekend.
Santos was among the three players whom Chelsea had to assess for fitness-related issues prior to Tuesday's win over Benfica in the Champions League.
The good news is that the other two, Joao Pedro and Moises Caicedo, are apparently fine, and both featured in the match.
The bad news is that Santos is ruled out for at least a couple of weeks, which means he will miss Liverpool's visit to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
"Very difficult," Maresca told reporters when speaking about injuries after the Benfica win.
"Again, because the ones that they play, there is a big risk that they can get injured because they are the ones that are playing a lot.
"For instance, we lost from (the) Brighton (match), Andrey Santos, who will be out until after the international break. We have seven, eight players out, unfortunately for us in this moment."
The Italian head coach further pointed out how he struggled to field a consistent starting eleven as a result of these injuries.
"We need to adapt and we try to win games," he added.
"That's why it was so important tonight to win, and also was important the other day, but unfortunately, we didn't win. Now we focus on Saturday."
Santos' absence is unfortunate, of course, but at least Maresca still has enough midfield options at his disposal.
Romeo Lavia has returned to the team, while Facundo Buonanotte, who started against Benfica, looked sharp as a number 10. Reece James can also provide some cover in midfield, if needed.
It is the centre-backs that Maresca does not have many options for.
Trevoh Chalobah will serve his one-game suspension after the red card against Brighton, while Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Levi Colwill are out.
This leaves Josh Acheampong, Benoit Badhiashile, and Jorrel Hato, who is naturally a left back, as options for the central defender roles.
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.