Chelsea given huge double injury boost before Brentford clash as Enzo Maresca welcomes duo back

Chelsea have been given a huge boost ahead of this weekend's clash against Brentford. The Blues will lock horns with Keith Andrews' side at the G-Tech Community Stadium on Saturday night (8pm) as they look to extend their unbeaten start to the Premier League season.

Before the international break, Chelsea enjoyed a 2-0 win against Fulham at Stamford Bridge. Joao Pedro fired the Club World Cup champions ahead on the brink of half-time before Enzo Fernandez doubled the lead from 12 yards.

Meanwhile, Brentford lost 2-1 to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Igor Thiago broke the deadlock in the final quarter of an hour, but the Black Cats mounted a late comeback - with Enzo Le Fee and Wilson Isidor snatching three crucial points.

Despite missing a few key players owing to injury, such as talisman Cole Palmer, Chelsea are one of just three clubs that remain unbeaten in the English top-flight this campaign. Fortunately for Enzo Maresca, the Blues have recently welcomed some big names back from the treatment room.

Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile have both taken part in first-team training at Cobham during the international break, as they each look to rebuild their match fitness. Neither have featured for Chelsea so far this season.

Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah and Fernandez also reported for duty, having been afforded some time over. Facundo Buonanotte, who the Blues snapped-up on loan from Brighton on deadline day, and Alejandro Garnacho continued their preparations at Chelsea's training base in Surrey.

Speaking with reporters at the end of last month, Maresca provided an update on Lavia and Badiashile. The Blues boss said: "I'm always worried, but not about just them.

"I'm always worried, but I think with Romeo and Benoit, because it's a long time out.

"It's normal that they need time; they need sessions. It's the same that we are doing with Wes [Fofana].

"Wes is back; the other day, he played some minutes. Hopefully, we can give him more minutes and slowly, slowly get the right condition."

When pressed for a timeframe on Lavia's return, Maresca said: "This season the target again is to give him more games, and hopefully in the moment he's back he can be fit for a long time and play more minutes, more games, because he's a player that we really trust."

Then, after the win against Fulham, Maresca was asked if the injuries that his players have suffered are, perhaps, a result of a short pre-season. The Chelsea boss said: "I said before the season started that unfortunately I don't have any answer, because it's the first time that you have a competition during the summer, so you don't know.

"I don't know. Not me, no sports science, not any doctor can help us to say we're going to have this problem or this problem. We don't know. It's something new, unfortunately it happened."

Maresca added: "I think it's not random that Levi [Colwill], Moi [Caicedo], Cole, today Liam [Delap, who suffered a hamstring injury against Marco Silva's side]. It is what it is."

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