Chelsea FC managed only a single point from their season opening London derby, a nil-nil draw with Crystal Palace. They also came out of the match with a new injury concern- Tosin Adarabioyo. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was very vague about it, saying only:
“Tosin had a physical problem. We don’t know for how long (he’ll be out).” That actually makes it sound more serious than it really is.
London Derby FYIs
West Ham United vs Chelsea FC
Kickoff: Fri. August 22, 8pm, London Stadium, UK
West Ham United Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Chelsea FC Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Google Result Probability: Chelsea 57% Draw 23% West Ham 20%
Premier League Standing, Form: Chelsea 11th, 1 pt, D West Ham 19th 0 pts, L
Blues Team News
The Japanese defender did miss the Saturday training session and he is a doubt for the next match, a short trip to West Ham, but he’s not expected to be out long. According to a report in the Evening Standard the injury is actually quite minor and he should resume training at some point this week.
Beyond Adarabioyo, the Blues have some more injury concerns. No one really knows what’s going on with Romeo Lavia. Both the specificity and severity of his injury is unknown, so we can’t put a timeline on his return.
We just know that he hasn’t been seen in action since the Club World Cup round of 16.
Lavia hasn’t been spotted in training lately. Moving on to Benoit Badiashile, he is understood to be training again, albeit individually, as he recovers from a problem that is unspecified/undisclosed.
“Benoit is in the process of coming back. Romeo is the same,” is all Maresca had to say regarding this on Friday.
Elsewhere Levi Colwill will miss most out of the season due to an ACL injury. Omari Kellyman remains out injured and Mykhailo Mudryk is of course, still suspended.
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