Chelsea injury update: Romeo Lavia, Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer latest news and return dates | OneFootball

The Blues brought several injured stars back into the fold last weekend

They were brought crashing back to Earth with a surprise draw away to Qarabag on Wednesday night, though.

With one more match remaining before the November international break, here is all the latest Chelsea injury news and potential return dates...

Romeo Lavia

Romeo Lavia got the nod from Enzo Maresca as Chelsea visited Azerbaijani side Qarabag this week, but completed just five minutes before being withdrawn with an injury.

He went down off the ball clutching his thigh after winning a duel with Leandro Andrade, who later opened the scoring.

After receiving treatment on pitch he was promptly withdrawn, and was seen tossing his water bottle in frustration as he made his way back to the changing rooms.

It is yet another blow for the young Belgian, who has appeared in just 30 of the 130 competitive matches Chelsea have played since he arrived from Southampton in 2023.

Speaking post-match, Maresca said it was too soon to provide a prognosis: “We feel a shame for him, especially for him.

“He's not able to be fit for a long, long period. We will see now. It's too early to understand what kind of injury. I think it's his quad.”

Lavia is expected to undergo scans on return to Cobham.

Potential return date: Unknown

Pedro Neto

Enzo Maresca has confirmed Pedro Neto will miss Chelsea’s trip to face Qarabag in the Champions League after he came off with an injury against Spurs.

The Portuguese went down off the ball with what appeared to be a calf cramp, and was replaced by Estevao.

Ruled out: Pedro Neto

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He subsequently missed training ahead of the Qarabag trip, but Maresca played down the injury’ severity.

“[It’s] not a problem, just a small issue. We will try to protect him. He is not involved in tomorrow's game,” said the Italian.

It is not yet clear how long Neto will be sidelined, but the issue does not appear serious. Whether Maresca risks him before the international break remains to be seen.

Potential return date: November

Cole Palmer

Chelsea’s talisman Cole Palmer has made just four appearances in all competitions this season as he deals with a niggling groin injury.

Unfortunately for the Blues, he is not expected to return for a matter of weeks.

Maresca had initially forecast a return to play after the October international break, but refreshed that prediction this month, saying he is unlikely to return before December.

“I was wrong. Unfortunately, he needs to be out probably six more weeks,” Maresca said.

Absent: Chelsea have missed Cole Palmer’s creativity

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“Yes, absolutely [he still doesn’t need surgery]. We try just to protect Cole as much as we can and the most important thing is that.

“Unfortunately, the medical staff, they are not magicians, they never know that you probably need six weeks. We hope that six weeks, they are enough, but it's a problem that we need to see step by step, week after week, but for sure he's going to be okay.

“He looks very good, to be honest, he looks relaxed. He's trying to recover from the injury, he's doing all the therapy that he needs to do, so he looks good.”

Potential return date: December

Benoit Badiashile

Benoit Badiashile has been in and out of the squad this season.

He missed early matches after picking up an injury at the Club World Cup before impressing on return against Benfica, but is now sidelined once again.

Speaking in October, Maresca said: “Benoit will be out until December, injury again.

“A muscle problem. He was doing fantastic, he showed all of this, he showed how he needed, and we're going to wait for him.”

Potential return date: December

Slow start: Dario Essugo was injured shortly after signing with Chelsea

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Dario Essugo

Dario Essugo suffered a thigh injury while on international duty with portugal’s Under-21s in September, and was forced to undergo surgery.

No official timeframe has been given for his return to play, though reports suggest he will be back in action around January.

Levi Colwill

Levi Colwill will miss most of the season after rupturing his ACL in pre-season. He underwent surgery in early August and is now in recovery.