“We are not sure” – Chelsea face potential major blow for Palmeiras clash after latest Maresca comments | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca is unsure whether Romeo Lavia will be fit for Chelsea’s Club World Cup quarter final against Palmeiras on Friday night.

The Blues beat Benfica 4-1 in the last 16 in a crazy game which was delayed for two hours due to adverse weather conditions.

Chelsea will be hoping for a more straight forward task when they come up against the Brazilian outfit and future player Estevao Willian.

Maresca unsure if Lavia will be fit for Palmeiras

Chelsea will be without the suspended Moises Caicedo, which is a huge blow, but Maresca has options and could bring Dario Essugo in.

Nicolas Jackson returns in attack after a two game suspension following his red card against Flamengo in the group stage.

Lavia is a doubt to face Palmeiras on Friday evening. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)

However, Chelsea have potentially been dealt another blow, after Maresca revealed he’s unsure if Lavia will be fit.

“Romeo, we are not sure he can be fit, we will try tomorrow,” he told his pre-match press conference.

“He had small problems at the end of the last game against Benfica. It is just muscular problems and tomorrow we will see if he is fit – Moi is suspended also – so we need to find solutions.”

Lavia, who is a huge fan of Maresca has appeared in all four of Chelsea’s Club World Cup games so far, but injuries have plagued his time at Stamford Bridge.

However, he did make 16 Premier League appearances last season, which was a major improvement on 2023/2024 campaign, and Chelsea will once again be looking for an increase on that.

Joao Pedro could make his debut

Whilst it remains to be seen if Lavia will play, there’s a possibility new signing Joao Pedro could make his debut after joining from Brighton in a deal worth up to £60m.

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The 23-year-old has had a couple of training sessions with his new team-mates, and there’s a possibility he could be on the bench.

Pedro will bring Chelsea another option in attack and can cover multiple positions across the frontline, which will be a valuable asset for Maresca.