Lots and lots of injury/fitness news for Chelsea FC this international break, starting with midfielder Enzo Fernandez. He ruled himself out of international duty this FIFA window, due to his chronic knee problem.
“I will not be available with Argentina,” Fernandez said. “I was just talking to the medical team because I had a problem with my knee in the last 4 months. I came with a bone edema that got worse in the last weeks and months because we played a lot of games.”
Chelsea at Burnley FC FYIs
Kick: Sat. Nov. 22, 12:30 pm, Turf Moor, London, UK
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Google Result Probability: Chelsea 63% Burnley 22% Draw 15%
PL Form: Chelsea WWLWW 3rd, 20 pts Wolves LWWLL 17th, 10 pts
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Enzo hopes to be ready for Chelsea’s next match, a trip to Burnley FC on Saturday. “I think the most important thing is coming to the end of the season and I think it’s good to make this decision together,” Fernandez said. “Always respecting the doctors and everything.”
Meanwhile Pedro Neto was replaced in the 77th minute of Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Wolves, last time out, due to a groin injury. The problem was bad enough to force Neto out of the Portugal squad ahead of their World Cup qualifiers against Ireland and Armenia.
However, these moves were overall just precautionary, as he’s expected to be fully fit and available for the weekend. Cole Palmer remains out with a chronic groin injury, with hopes that he could possiblly face FC Barcelona in the Champions League competition next week.
Moving on, Romeo Lavia is injured, yet again, this time with a thigh problem. Lavia will likely be out for awhile, but how long specifically is difficult to say. It will most likely be a month though.
Eslewhere Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro shook off minor injury scares this international period, and they should be fine for the trip to the Clarets.
Regarding Benoit Badiashile, let’s rememember what manager Enzo Maresca said about the player back in October: “Benoit will be out until December, injury again. A muscle problem. He was doing fantastic, he showed all of this, he showed how he needed, and we’re going to wait for him.”
And finally, Dario Luis Essugo and Levi Colwill remain out as longer-term injury absentees while 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.