Chelsea handed Moises Caicedo boost for Club World Cup semi-final as triple selection blow confirmed | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca will welcome back Moises Caicedo for Chelsea's Club World Cup semi-final against Fluminense, but it's not all good news.

Chelsea head to MetLife Stadium on Tuesday to face the Brazilian side, with the winner progressing into Sunday's final against either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain.

After a narrow 2-1 victory over Palmeiras in the quarter-finals, Chelsea will face a third Brazilian outfit at this summer's tournament.

Maresca has managed the squad's workload well during the club's time in the United States. The absences have been limited and when they have occurred, it's mostly been through suspension.

Caicedo, 23, missed Chelsea's quarter-final against Palmeiras after picking up a yellow card, his second of the tournament, against Benfica, which saw him given a one-match ban.

To the relief and joy of Chelsea, the Ecuadorian will return to the starting XI against Fluminense on Tuesday. Maresca hailed the midfielder's importance ahead of the semi-final, admitting: "We are delighted, we are very happy to have him. He has been very important in this season for us, with everything we have done."

IMAGO / NurPhoto

The Chelsea head coach added: "He's very important. Moises has been one of the best players of the season, and he is very important. He is a very important player for us, for his teammates. Fortunately, we have Romeo also in that position. We used Andrey Santos the other day in that position, so we are quite happy, but we are more happy with Moises in the team."

It's not all good news for Chelsea against Fluminense

Although Maresca will be delighted with Caicedo's return, the 45-year-old will be without three players against Fluminense.

Romeo Lavia, who has recently picked up a minor injury, will continue to be unavailable for the Blues. Maresca confirmed the 21-year-old has returned to training, but not in team training.

"Romeo is training already, unfortunately he's not training with us, so he's not ready for tomorrow," Maresca told reporters.

IMAGO / Xinhua

Chelsea will also be without Levi Colwill and Liam Delap, who both miss out due to suspension after an accumulation of yellow cards. Maresca insists he will find solutions just like he did against Palmeiras when Caicedo was absent.

"Already in the last game we had Romeo out, Moises out, Reece out and we found a solution with Andrey (Santos). Now with Levi and Liam out, we're going to find a different solution. Joao (Pedro) is ready, also Nico (Jackson). For sure we're going to find a solution."