Maresca delivers 'good news' on Badiashile & Lavia after positive injury return update
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Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has provided some positive news on Benoit Badiashile and Romeo Lavia ahead of Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie with Lincoln City.
The Blues have been dealing with several injury problems already this season with Levi Colwill, Badiashile, Lavia, Dario Essugo and Liam Delap all sidelined, while Cole Palmer is currently nursing a groin problem.
While some injuries have been sustained since the new campaign got underway last month, Chelsea's participation in the Club World Cup, which saw them be crowned World Cup champions, came at a cost, with Badiashile and Lavia suffering injuries during the competition.
Both Badiashile and Lavia last featured in Chelsea's 4-1 win over Benfica in June, due to a knock and a muscle issue, respectively.
As revealed by Maresca, the duo took part in Monday's training session as they continue their return to selection, although he still ruled them out for the trip to Lincoln on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup third round.
"(Benoit and Romeo) will not be back for this game, unfortunately," the 45-year-old confirmed on Monday.
"They both took part in the session yesterday, which is good news, and hopefully they can be available soon."
Badiashile's return would only help Chelsea feel the void left by Levi Colwill's long-term absence due to a knee injury.
Similarly, Maresca would be glad to have a backup to Moises Caicedo in midfield with Lavia. That said, Lavia, who has struggled with injuries since joining Chelsea, will likely be introduced slowly back into the team.
Maresca has mostly used a 4-2-3-1 system this season, using just two centre-midfielders in the team.
For now, Andrey Santos and Reece James have been used as part of the midfield rotation, which is not ideal since the latter is obviously not a midfielder.
Maresca has confirmed several youngsters could be involved against Lincoln, offering hope to teenager Reggie Walsh to be a potential option for the Blues in midfield.
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.