Chelsea have been handed another injury blow ahead of their Premier League clash with Liverpool this weekend with Andrey Santos ruled out.
The Brazil international was absent from training in the lead-up to Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Benfica with Jose Mourinho reunited with his old side at Stamford Bridge.
Santos was left out of the matchday squad as the Blues sealed a 1-0 victory over the Portuguese giants.
Speaking after the game, Enzo Maresca confirmed the midfielder has now joined the growing list of players who will not be available until after the October international break.
‘We lost Andrey Santos, who will be out until after the international break,’ Maresca said.
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‘We have seven or eight players out. It is difficult to pick the same XI, but it is what it is. We need to adapt.’
Santos joins fellow midfielder Dario Essugo on the sidelines with the former Sporting CP star ruled out with a thigh injury.
Romeo Lavia has had an injury-hit start to the season, managing 11 minutes off the bench against Brighton last weekend with Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo playing the full 90 minutes in the last two games.
It is in defence where Chelsea are hardest hit.
While Levi Colwill already sidelined with a long-term knee injury, Tosin Adarabioyo and Wesley Fofana are also ruled out injured until the game against Nottingham Forest on 18 October.
Trevoh Chalobah has been a mainstay at the back but he will serve a suspension for the visit of Liverpool on Saturday evening as a result of the red card he picked up against Brighton.
It leaves Maresca with the options of 19-year-old Josh Acheampong and Benoit Badiashile at centre-half.
Even amid a crisis at the back, the Chelsea boss has ruled out the possibility of a recall for Axel Disasi.
Cole Palmer is another who will not be involved against Liverpool with Chelsea opting to pull him out of the firing line and give him more time to recover from a persistent groin injury.
Liam Delap meanwhile is not expected to return until mid-November at the earliest.