Enzo Maresca says a ‘small issue’ will keep Chelsea winger Pedro Neto out of Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Qarabag.
The Portuguese winger started in the victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, but was not among the group that trained at Cobham on Tuesday morning ahead of the trip to Azerbaijan.
Maresca confirmed in his pre-match press conference (via chelseafc.com)that the 25-year-old will be left at home, yet there is no major concern over his fitness.
“Not a problem, just a small issue,” the Chelsea head coach explained when asked why Neto hadn’t featured in the morning session, the first ten minutes of which were open to the media. “So we try to protect him. He is not involved in tomorrow’s game.”
There are a handful of players who remain sidelined for the Blues. Levi Colwill and Dario Essugo are long-term absentees, while Benoit Badiashile and Cole Palmer are recovering from issues that have kept them out in recent weeks.
The timeline on Palmer’s return has yet to change, with Maresca reiterating the need to manage the Blues’ No.10. There was a positive update on Badiashile, though.
“We go day by day with Cole,” Maresca explained. “He isn’t taking part in any sessions with the team. But we could have Benoit Badiashile available after the international break.”
The Blues head coach will be able to welcome Liam Delap back into his squad after he served a one-match suspension against Tottenham. The striker is an option to feature in Baku.
“Liam is back and is an important player for us,” said Maresca. “He is an option for tomorrow and I don’t have any doubts that come the end of the season, we will be very happy with Liam in terms of goals, the way he works off the ball, how intense he is when we need to press.
“There is no doubt he is going to help us.”
