Major problem for Enzo Maresca before Club World Cup final as £18m Chelsea man joins Romeo Lavia on injury list
Enzo Maresca will be sweating on the fitness of a number of players ahead of Chelsea’s Club World Cup final at the weekend.
The Blues were 2-0 winners in the semi-final up against Thiago Silva’s Fluminense side, with Joao Pedro scoring twice on his first start for the club.
Chelsea had Moises Caicedo back available for them after he served his suspension in the previous round, and he quickly reminded everyone of his quality in the middle of the park.
There were some worries at the end of the game when the Ecuador international hobbled off after seemingly twisting his ankle, with Maresca no doubt concerned at his status ahead of the final.
Romeo Lavia is already unlikely to feature for Chelsea after he missed the semi-final due to injury, The manager has said that the Belgian is currently training individually.
Enzo Maresca confirms Dario Essugo is also injured ahead of Club World Cup final
With that being potentially two midfielders not fit enough to feature, the last thing he will need is another player in that position being unavailable.
This could well be the case for Dario Essugo, who has made sporadic appearances during the Club World Cup so far.
However, Maresca confirmed after the semi-final that the youngster has also picked up a problem, and will not be available until the new season.
He told Football London: “Dario had a muscle problem yesterday during the session, so he is going to be ready for next season. Moi, with his ankle, when it happened I told him, because there were just two or three games to go, I told him that we could play with 10 players.
“It’s important that we don’t get too worked up because we have a game on Sunday, but we felt that we could try and we can play. Hopefully he can be fit on Sunday, we’ll see.”
Essugo impressing already at Chelsea
The Blues secured Essugo for £18m from Sporting Lisbon before the transfer window opened, and it has not taken long for the Chelsea manager to hand him opportunities.
Maresca has ‘a good feeling’ about Essugo, with Chelsea desperate to find some cover in their first team squad for Caicedo.
There are no reports that the youngster is set to be loaned out this season, and he will be competing with fellow Club World Cup squad member Andrey Santos for next season.
It could be the Brazilian that is handed his chance in the final though, with two other midfielders facing a race against time to be fit for the final against either PSG or Real Madrid.
from Latest Chelsea News and Updates - The Chelsea Chronicle https://ift.tt/cGhqMiA
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