Enzo Maresca makes Moises Caicedo selection decision vs Leicester as Romeo Lavia hint offered | OneFootball

Head coach Enzo Maresca has outlined his selection plans for Moises Caicedo after the Chelsea midfielder edged closer to a two-match ban in the Premier League.

The 23-year-old picked up his ninth league booking for the season last Tuesday during the 4-0 win over Southampton and another would see the Ecuador international banned for two matches.

Caicedo, who has received a booking in five of his last six league outings, is a vital part of Chelsea's midfield under Maresca, however the Blues are in danger of losing him for key upcoming matches, with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur to follow in their next two matches after they have faced Leicester City on Sunday afternoon at Stamford Bridge.

With Leicester in the relegation zone, Maresca was quizzed on the idea of resting Caicedo against the Foxes to guarantee he would be available to face Arsenal on March 16.

"No, no, no," responded the Chelsea head coach. "I know that they said this to me, but at this moment for us, it’s about winning games. We need to win games, so we cannot plan giving Moi a rest thinking that he can play Arsenal."

Maresca added: "We need to win against Leicester and then we need to focus on how we can beat Arsenal. It's just game by game and we need our best players on the pitch."

With Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, who netted during Chelsea's 2-1 win over Copenhagen on Thursday night in the Conference League, set to start on Sunday, Maresca could also welcome back Romeo Lavia into the side.

The 21-year-old, who has been restricted to 10 Premier League appearances this season due to injury problems, has been sidelined since January after sustaining a hamstring injury.

It's been a frustrating second half of the season for Romeo Lavia. / IMAGO / Sportsphoto

Lavia has gradually been recovering at their Cobham training base and recently returned to team training. Although he isn't ready to start for Chelsea yet, Maresca confirmed the Belgium international could return to the squad against Leicester in a welcome boost for the Blues.

"Romeo could be fit," said Maresca, "but not playing from the start."

With 11 games left to play in the Premier League and Champions League qualification still in their hands, Chelsea will need as many of their players to be available and step up to deliver at the business end of the season to achieve their objectives.