Bournemouth V Chelsea: Pictures
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is set to receive a major boost with five players on course to return to the squad for their next Premier League fixture. The Blues head coach was left down to the bare bones with 12 players ruled out for the 0-0 draw at Bournemouth, but their injury crisis is set to ease off this week, with the return of several players to training and potentially the matchday squad.
Chelsea could be set to welcome back £115million summer signing Moises Caicedo, who missed the trip to the South Coast after returning from international duty with Ecuador with a knock to his knee.
But he will be in contention to start their home game against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Sunday after making a quick recovery.
Having the 21-year-old back will prove to be a timely boost for Pochettino, who has been forced to cope with a nightmare injury list. With Caicedo missing, the Argentinian gave a full debut to summer signing Lesley Ugochukwu, who has only been training with the club for five weeks.
As reported by the Evening Standard, the west London outfit will also be able to count on four more returning stars to bolster their squad depth. Pochettino was barely able to name a full 20-man squad, with six of the names on their bench at the Vitality Stadium still yet to make their debut.
But that is likely to change against Villa, with Marc Cucurella and Noni Madueke edging closer to full fitness after returning to training. Cucurella had been ruled out with illness but is not expected to be out for the next game, with Madueke pushing to return in time for Sunday’s clash.
Armando Broja and Benoit Badiashile are close to being available for selection, with Broja finally ready for his first minutes since rupturing his ACL against Villa in a mid-season friendly in November. Badiashile, meanwhile, is yet to play this term after sustaining a hamstring injury at the tail end of last season.
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The news will come as a welcome boost for Pochettino, who has guided Chelsea to victory in only one of their first five matches – a 3-0 success over Luton Town at home. His side currently sit 15th in the table with just five points and five goals scored after failing to score in their last two matches.
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