Chelsea will return to Premier League action tomorrow afternoon, when Aston Villa visit Stamford Bridge. Mauricio Pochettino’s side will be searching for their second win of the season after going goalless in their previous two outings.
Unlike their opponents, the Blues have had a full week to prepare for this weekend’s game. Villa’s return to European football began with a 3-2 defeat against Legia Warsaw in the UEFA Europa Conference League, forcing Unai Emery to employ his top players.
On Friday afternoon, Pochettino appeared to deliver an encouraging update on a number of his injured players before of the encounter. A number of players missed last week’s draw at AFC Bournemouth, and some are hopeful
Caicedo, who missed the draw against Bournemouth, is racing against the clock to be ready for Villa’s visit. The midfielder was spotted with a strapped-up right thigh while on international duty with Ecuador, implying that he was injured.
He was spotted in training at his players on Friday, just before the weekend. Fingers crossed that he will make an appearance.
What Pochettino said: “Moi, we need to assess tomorrow; he was training individually, not with the team, until today.” We’ll analyze tomorrow and see what happens on Sunday.”
The expected comeback date for Aston Villa (H) is September 24.
Badiashile missed the first few weeks of the season due to a hamstring injury sustained at the end of the 2022/23 season, but his return is imminent. On Monday, the club’s official social media account tweeted a video showing Badiashile returning in training, but Pochettino indicated he was not yet ready to return.
Nathan Gissing claims that the Frenchman has taken another step back in his recovery and is no longer working with his colleagues. On Friday, Pochettino confirmed the claims.
Pochettino answered, “Yeah, but it was in a different muscle, but it was minor, small.”
Expected return date: October.
