Chelsea: Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto absences explained before Leicester clash | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca returns to the King Power Stadium looking to move within a point of second-place Manchester City

Chelsea are without both Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto for Saturday’s clash with Leicester.

The third-place Blues head to the King Power Stadium at lunchtime for the first Premier League fixture following the latest international break, boosted by the fitness of a number of key players who withdrew from their respective national squads last week.

Cole Palmer, Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill all start as usual for Chelsea in the East Midlands, while Romeo Lavia is fit enough for the bench and Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez both line up in midfield despite only returning from World Cup qualifiers in South America on Thursday.

Jadon Sancho is also named as a substitute after missing out prior to the break following injury and illness, though Gusto and Neto are both absent from the squad entirely.

Absent: Chelsea are without both Pedro Neto and Malo Gusto against Leicester

REUTERS

Standard Sport understands that Gusto - who withdrew from the French Under-21 squad last week - misses out against Leicester due to illness, while forward Neto will not get a chance to build on his impressive equaliser against Arsenal following a knock sustained in the Nations League that forced his early return from Portugal duty. Maresca has since confirmed those reasons for both players.

Chelsea are also missing Reece James at the King Power, with their captain reportedly set to undergo a scan next week to determine the extent of another hamstring injury. Young summer signing Omari Kellyman is also still out with his own hamstring issue.

With no James or Gusto, Benoit Badiashile comes into the Chelsea defence against Leicester as both Maresca and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall make their first returns to their former club after last season’s Championship title success.

Fernandez replaces Lavia and captains the side with James out, while Neto’s place in the attack is taken by Joao Felix. Dewsbury-Hall and Sancho both move onto the bench, meanwhile.

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