Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has confirmed that both Estevao Willian and Liam Delap are available for Saturday’s match against Aston Villa.
Saturday’s match sees the fourth hosts sit third in the Premier League, with Chelsea welcoming an in-form Aston Villa side to Stamford Bridge.
The Blues showed resilience last time out to fight back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw against Newcastle United, a result that kept them in fourth place at Christmas, although pressure is mounting from a resurgent Liverpool side who are climbing the table after three wins in their last five games.
As a result, Chelsea can hardly afford a defeat against the Villans, who will be keen to stay within three points of leaders Arsenal ahead of their meeting with the Gunners just three days later.
Moises Caicedo returned to midfield during the draw at St James’ Park after serving a suspension, while Cole Palmer also started to see more minutes after an injury-marred start to the season. Although Maresca has been missing a number of key players in recent weeks, he has now welcomed two more into the squad for the showdown at Stamford Bridge.
Boost
Estevao has been forced to sit out the last two games due to what Maresca described as a muscle problem, while Delap suffered a shoulder problem against Bournemouth earlier this month.
Maresca confirmed in a speech to the media on Wednesday that both players will be in action this weekend.
He said, ‘He’s (Estevao) back. He’s back; he’s available for Saturday, him and also Liam Delap.’
When asked if Delap’s recovery had come as a surprise, he replied: ‘No, we didn’t know exactly how long he would be out.
‘Like I said, he’s available for Saturday. He is also available, Estevao, so very happy for both of them.’
Early reports indicated that Delap could be ruled out until the end of January if a fracture or dislocation was confirmed, but the problem has proven to be less serious for the England forward than initially expected.
In Delap’s case, Joao Pedro’s goal and overall performance against Newcastle United last weekend appear to be enough to keep him in the lead at number nine, so the Englishman is likely to take Marc Guiu’s place among the substitutes.
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