Romeo Lavia is as injury-riddled as it gets, as far as Chelsea FC players go. However, he may recover from his thigh injury in time to feature at Ipswich Town on Monday night. “Romeo is still recovering,” Blues boss Enzo Maresca said on Christmas Eve.
“He’s much, much better and out on the pitch and working, but unfortunately, he’s not ready for the next game.”
Chelsea FC at Ipswich Town FYIs
Kickoff: Mon. Dec. 30, 7:45pm, Portman Road
Chelsea Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
PL Position, Form: Chelsea 3rd, 35 pts, WWWDL Ipswich Town 19th, 12 pts, LLWLL
Google Result Probability: Chelsea 70% Draw 17% Ipswich Town 13%
Blues Team News
That next game was of course the surprise loss to Fulham. Elsewhere Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, cup competition or squad player that he may be, is a doubt for tomorrow with a knock of some sort.
Another player, like Dewsbury-Hall and Lavia, who faces a late fitness test is Carney Chukwuemeka. He’s battling a virus, but of course, even if he’s passed fit, he might not play anyway.
The former Aston Villa just doesn’t seem to be a part of Maresca’s plans.
Other than that, the Chelsea fitness situation remains unchanged.
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.