Unfortunately for Chelsea FC, they have a very long list of injuries as the new Premier League season dawns on Sunday. Levi Colwill, Romeo Lavia, Trevoh Chalobah, Nicolas Jackson, Wesley Fofana, Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile and Omari Kellyman could all miss out on the season opener London derby against Crystal Palace.
So let’s get you edified on the latest information surrounding all of them as the 2025-26 season nears kickoff.
Season Opener FYIs
Kickoff: Sunday August 17, 2pm, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Chelsea Preview Material: Team News Starting Lineup Prediction
Google’s Result Probability: Chelsea FC 60% Draw 22% Crystal Palace 18%
Blues Team News
On Thursday, we were informed that Colwill underwent surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament.
We can look at estimating a specific timeline later on down the road, but he’s obviously going to miss all that remains of 2025, as well as the early part of 2026.
The extremely oft-injured Romeo Lavia remains out while Nicolas Jackson is suspended. Lavia has an unspecified muscle injury, and we haven’t seen him since the Club World Cup round of 16.
Fofana (thigh) and Chalobah (fatigue/match fitness) should be good to go though, with the Blues boss Enzo Maresca saying of the former on Saturday, ahead of the 4-1 win over AC Milan:
“Fofana could be available for Crystal Palace, yes, and we are very happy because he is a very important player.”
Maresca said, on the same day, of the latter:
“Trev is fine; he decided to come off because it was too hot.”
Meanwhile Mudryk remains long-term suspended (one wonders if he might ever play for Chelsea again), and Badiashile has an unspecified issue that should keep him out here.
Kellyman (hamstring) remains out as a long term absentee.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter