It’s not surprising to hear that Romeo Lavia is ruled out of Sunday’s London derby at Chelsea. After all, he kind of is to Chelsea what Luke Shaw is to Manchester United or what Thiago Alcantara was to Liverpool- very talented player, but unfortunately almost never healthy.
While the Lavia absence for this weekend is to be expected, the Wesley Fofana situation, on the other hand, is unexpected.
Chelsea FC at Brentford FYIs
Kickoff Time: 4p.m. GMT, Sunday, April 6
Location, Brentford Community Stadium, London, UK
Chelsea FC Preview Material Starting XI Prediction Team News
Google Result Probability: Chelsea FC 44% Draw 25% Brentford 31%
Premier League Standings Chelsea FC 4th 52 pts Brentford 11th 41 pts
Blues Team News
Both have unspecified/undisclosed muscle injuries. Said Blues boss Enzo Maresca in regards to Fofana: “We are waiting for both. Romeo looks a little bit better injury compared to Wes, in terms of probably Romeo can be back earlier than Wes.”
There is no return date for Fofana set, but Lavia is expected to be back at some point within the next week or so.
“For Sunday, Romeo is out,” Maresca continued.
“If you compare his games this season to last season, he has already improved. But the target is to try to keep him fit as much as we can and play more games next season than this season.”
Otherwise there are no new updates here- Mudryk remains suspended; Kellyman is officially shut down for the season.
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. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.
