Enzo Maresca Provides Positive Injury Updates on Estevao and Liam Delap

Enzo Maresca has delivered some encouraging injury updates on Chelsea duo Estevao Willian and Liam Delap, despite both players being set to miss Saturday’s trip to Newcastle United.

Chelsea named a heavily rotated side for their midweek Carabao Cup victory over Cardiff City, with several key players left out of the matchday squad. While most omissions were expected, Estevao’s absence raised eyebrows among supporters.

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Why Estevao Missed Out

The Brazilian youngster had not started since the defeat to Leeds United earlier this month, leading many to assume he would feature against Cardiff. However, Maresca confirmed that the 18-year-old suffered a minor muscular injury.

That issue will also rule him out of the visit to St James’ Park this weekend, but the setback appears to be short-term. Encouragingly, Maresca expects Estevao to return next week.

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Delap Also Close to a Return

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, Maresca confirmed that both Estevao and Delap are nearing full fitness.

“We are good, yeah. The ones that we left out for Cardiff, they are okay,” Maresca said when asked about team news.

“We have probably Liam Delap and Estevao Willian, probably both available for next game against Aston Villa.

“That is good news. And then Romeo (Lavia) is still out. Levi (Colwill) is still out.”

Maresca also provided an update on Delap’s shoulder injury, admitting there was initial uncertainty around his recovery timeline but stressing that progress has been encouraging.

“We said since his injury that we didn’t know exactly for how long, but he’s progressing very well.”

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Newcastle Absence Manageable for Chelsea

The expected absences of Estevao and Delap should not cause major concern for Chelsea against Newcastle. Pedro Neto and João Pedro were carefully managed against Cardiff, playing just 24 and 45 minutes respectively, and are expected to shoulder the attacking responsibility this weekend.

That said, having both Estevao and Delap available for the following fixture could be crucial.

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Villa Clash Could Be Pivotal

Chelsea host Aston Villa next week in a match that could have major implications for the Champions League race. Villa currently sit third in the table, five points clear of fourth-placed Chelsea, making it a potentially decisive encounter.

Getting both Estevao and Delap back in time for that game would be a significant boost for Maresca’s side.

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No Update on Essugo

One notable omission from Maresca’s update was Dário Essugo. The summer signing recently suffered a setback after returning to training from a thigh injury and has yet to make his Premier League debut.

With no fresh information provided, it appears fans may need to wait a little longer to see Essugo feature again following his Club World Cup involvement.