Enzo Maresca ready to unleash secret weapon as Chelsea handed injury boost ahead of Liverpool

Chelsea have been given a major boost ahead of their clash against Liverpool. Enzo Maresca could welcome a big name back to his starting lineup when the Blues take on the Premier League champions at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.

The west Londoners returned to winning ways on Tuesday night with a 1-0 victory against Benfica in the UEFA Champions League. Chelsea had only won one of their previous five games across all competitions, but they managed to find a way past Jose Mourinho's side.

Meanwhile, the Reds have lost each of their last two games, losing to Crystal Palace last weekend and Galatasaray on Tuesday night. Liverpool may still fancy their chances against the Club World Cup champions, but Maresca could have a trick up his sleeve.

The Chelsea boss has been in the process of slowly reintegrating Romeo Lavia, who missed the start of the season due to injury. The 21-year-old made his first appearance of the campaign against Brighton, coming off the bench in the 3-1 defeat.

Lavia was an unused substitute against Benfica, and he's regularly featured in training at Cobham this week. The Belgium international has always impressed for the Blues, but he's struggled to always make himself available.

Last season, Lavia managed to feature in each of Chelsea's clashes against Liverpool. The Belgium international caught the eye in the contentious 2-1 defeat at Anfield, and he dictated play in the 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge.

With Andrey Santos and Dario Essugo out, Maresca could be inclined to throw Lavia back into the limelight. The Belgian, who'd be tasked with controlling possession, would allow the Blues to match Liverpool in the middle of the park.

Maresca was asked about the Reds' vulnerabilities in his pre-match press conference. The Italian said: "I don't think that now it's better to play Liverpool just because they drop points in the last two games.

"It's always a tough game. Always a big team. For me personally, the way they are doing this season, in any case, is fantastic. Especially after [Diogo] Jota's tragedy.

"I live exactly the same when I was a player 20 years ago. It's not easy for the players, it's not easy for the club, it's not easy for the manager when you arrive at the training ground and you see every day that place empty.

"So you have to be very strong. And this is the reason why for me they are doing not good, even better than good, even more. Because they are trying to deal with a problem that is not easy."

On what he learned from Liverpool last season, Maresca said: "Yes, we played both games, I think, against Liverpool very good. Unfortunately, we lost away and we won at home.

"But every game is different, especially from one season to the other one is different. We're going to try to prepare the game in the best way we can for tomorrow. Try to win the game.

"Even if in the last one or two games they dropped points, they showed the reason why they won last year the Premier League. And they're going to be there until the end."

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