Six players set to miss Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea as Ange Postecoglou battles to avoid sack

Chelsea will be looking to build on their recent 2-1 win over Liverpool when they travel to Nottingham Forest on Saturday – but Enzo Maresca has several injury concerns

Chelsea are set to return to the pitch after the international break with a match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, but manager Enzo Maresca has a few injury concerns to address. The Blues managed to secure an impressive 2-1 victory over current Premier League champions Liverpool before the break, putting an end to a three-match winless streak in the league.

Maresca’s squad will be looking to build on this triumph when they face off against a struggling Forest side on Saturday at 12.30pm. Ange Postecoglou’s team is currently on a seven-match winless run across all competitions since he took the reins on 9 September and is believed to be battling to avoid the sack.

Both teams will be heading into the showdown at the City Ground with injuries plaguing their squads. Cole Palmer, Chelsea’s midfielder, had to be substituted during the first half of the Blues’ match against Manchester United on September 20 due to a groin injury.

The 23-year-old has been absent from each of Chelsea’s last four matches across all competitions, and it’s anticipated that he won’t make a comeback until November.

Palmer was subsequently ruled out of England’s recent fixtures against Wales and Latvia. Thomas Tuchel has cautioned Palmer that his injury could become ‘chronic’ if not properly managed.

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And when asked about the injury, Maresca said: “Yeah, we decided to protect a little bit, Cole, in terms of him not getting a worse injuries. So we decided to rest him for the next two or three weeks, probably until international break, just to see if with that rest he can be able to recover 100 per cent and to be completely fit after the international break.

“No, I don’t think he needs surgery. It’s just a matter of managing his pain and his groin. The amount of games is something that can happen.

“So this is the reason why we try to be conservative with him to give him rest, and hopefully he can be 100 per cent fit after the international break.”

Meanwhile, Liam Delap picked up a hamstring problem during Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Fulham just before the previous international break. Thankfully, the 22-year-old forward, who the Blues brought in from Ipswich Town for £30m during the summer, avoided needing an operation on the concern.

Dario Essugo, however, sustained a thigh problem whilst on September international duty. The club revealed that the Portugal Under-21 midfielder, who Chelsea recruited from Sporting CP this summer, went under the knife and has been put on a recovery programme at Cobham training ground.

Chelsea’s Levi Colwill, who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the start of pre-season, is the final player unavailable for Saturday’s match. The 22-year-old defender will be sorely missed by Maresca, but the Chelsea boss won’t want to rush his return and risk exacerbating the problem.

Enzo Fernandez’s status remains uncertain after he returned home early from international duty due to inflammation in his right knee. Maresca is expected to provide an update on Fernandez’s condition during Friday morning’s press conference.

As for Forest, it’s still unclear whether Oleksandr Zinchenko has recovered from a groin issue. Meanwhile, fellow full-back Ola Aina continues to be sidelined long-term following hamstring surgery.

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