Chelsea had been pressured to accept a irritating 2-2 draw towards Qarabag on the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku on Wednesday night time within the UEFA Champions League.
It was a disappointing outing the place a number of points went improper for Enzo Maresca’s aspect, additional compounded by Romeo Lavia’s harm within the first half.
Since becoming a member of from Southampton in the summertime of 2023, Lavia’s time at Chelsea has been hampered by accidents, limiting him to simply 30 appearances for the membership.
The 21-year-old, who has featured seven instances in all competitions this season, appeared visibly distressed as he made his manner off the pitch after selecting up one more situation.
The Belgian was handed a beginning position in midfield alongside Andrey Santos within the Azerbaijani capital, however inside the opening 5 minutes, he pulled up after a defensive duel with eventual goalscorer Leandro Andrade close to his personal penalty space.
Though he managed to clear the ball, Lavia limped away earlier than collapsing to the bottom for remedy, and his frustration was evident as he hurled a bottle whereas leaving the sphere.
Maresca opted for warning, introducing Moises Caicedo – who had initially been set to relaxation for the fixture – as his substitute.
Blow
Talking in his post-match press convention, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca offered an replace on the extent of his harm and the way lengthy he might doubtlessly be out.
He mentioned, ‘Yeah, we really feel very ashamed, particularly for him, as a result of he’s not capable of be match for an extended, lengthy interval. We are going to see now, because it’s too early to grasp what sort of harm. Hopefully, it’s not a giant harm.’
When requested if it may very well be the recurrence of his hamstring harm, the supervisor was fast to dismiss it.
‘No, I feel it’s a quad harm.’
Chelsea will conduct scans at their Cobham coaching floor as soon as the squad has returned residence from their flight to London, to find out the extent of Lavia’s harm, however face a nervous wait till then.
Lavia has constantly displayed his high quality at any time when match and stays a key determine for Chelsea, but his restricted variety of appearances is changing into a big concern.
With the Belgian midfielder now seemingly going through one other spell on the sidelines, Chelsea nonetheless possesses depth in midfield – although that depth is regularly thinning.
Dario Essugo is sidelined till January, and Lavia’s absence means Maresca is left with simply Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, and Santos as his recognised central midfielders.
