We have a clearer picture now of when Chelsea may get some of their injured players back to match fitness levels. It all starts with defender Trevoh Chalobah (back injury), who could return to action on Thursday, when the Blues visit FC Copenhagen for a UEFA Europa League knockout round clash.
Benoit Badiashile (thigh injury) should be next, with his comeback potentially happening on the weekend.
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Chelsea at Copenhagen
Kickoff: Thurs. Mar. 6, 5:45pm, Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Beyond Chalobah and company, Noni Madueke (hamstring) is to remain sidelined through to the other side of the international break. And that date of April 2, the first match after the internationals, could also see strikers Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu (both of which have hamstring problems) out of the infirmary and back in the match day squad again.
Then we’ll just have to see with the oft-injured Romeo Lavia (another player with a thigh issue), who might be a week or two behind that trio.
Other than all that, the rest of the Blues injury news remains the same.
Everyone else who is currently unavailable has no clear timeline for return right now.
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, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. 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.