Why Fofana is absent vs Nottingham Forest as Maresca breaks silence on Fernandez problem | OneFootball

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has named a weakened line-up for Saturday's clash against Nottingham Forest, with two key players missing from the squad.

Maresca confirmed that three key players were doubtful for the Nottingham Forest trip after missing Thursday's training session, and among them, only Pedro Neto has made the starting line-up.

Moises Caicedo is on the bench for Chelsea, which is a surprise given that he did not travel to join the Ecuador national team during the international break, whereas Fernandez did not even make the squad.

Fernandez's absence is more understandable, since he withdrew from the Argentina squad due to inflammation in his right knee.

Maresca confirmed to TNT Sports that Fernandez's absence is not a 'big concern', revealing: "It's not a big concern. He's out for injury. Hopefully he can be back very soon."

To replace the midfield duo and Cole Palmer, who is expected to be out until late November due to a persistent groin issue, Maresca is using Romeo Lavia, Malo Gusto, and Andrey Santos in midfield.

Interestingly, Maresca previously spoke about how he might have to use Gusto, who is naturally a right-back, in midfield again, just like in the match against Liverpool.

This is Chelsea's first Premier League starting line-up without Caicedo since their defeat to Wolves on Christmas Eve in 2023.

The most surprising absence, however, is Wesley Fofana's.

The France international took part in training sessions during the international break after recovering from concussion symptoms, but has not travelled with the squad to the City Ground.

As reported by Nathan Gissing, Fofana is not suffering from any issues and it was just a case of selection preference.

Tosin Adarabioyo also recently nursed a calf injury, but he is at least on the bench.

Trevoh Chalobah, who returned after a one-match suspension, and Josh Acheampong are the starting centre-back pairing.

Joao Pedro starts up front, as expected, while Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto provide the width on the flanks.