Palmer returns, Caicedo concern - Five things spotted in Chelsea training before Brentford clash

Enzo Maresca has been putting his players through their paces ahead of this weekend's match. Chelsea will lock horns with Brentford on Saturday afternoon as they look to rectify their disappointing record at the G-Tech Community Stadium.

The Blues have drawn each of their last three games at the ground, with two of which being goalless affairs. And, since the Bees were promoted to the Premier League in 2021, Chelsea have only managed to beat them three times across all competitions.

Speaking to reporters ahead of what will be the Club World Cup champions' fourth successive London derby, Maresca accepted it will be a challenge for his side. The Italian said: "I think it's always a tough game.

"It was last year, as you said, in both games. But, the Premier League is the best league in the world, probably for that, because against any club it's always tough.

"We play three games, Palace are doing fantastic, Fulham, West Ham, it's always difficult. So, tomorrow I expect exactly the same," added Maresca. "They are all derbies, but I don't think that makes a big difference."

Knowing what's at stake, Maresca has been working hard on the pitches at Cobham. So, with that being said, football.london has looked at five things that you might have missed from training this week.

Palmer finally returns to action

Cole Palmer finally returned to training after a spell on the sidelines. The 23-year-old attacking midfielder suffered a groin injury in the warm-up to Chelsea's 5-1 win over West Ham last month, and he was replaced by Estevao Willian in the starting lineup.

Palmer also missed the Blues' 2-0 victory against Fulham the following weekend. Speaking to reporters at Cobham on Friday morning, Maresca confirmed that the England international was back on the grass.

"Cole took part in the session yesterday for the first time, not the entire session," said the Chelsea boss. "Today, in the afternoon, we have one more session. We're going to try with him, if he's okay; otherwise, he will be out tomorrow again."

Maresca added: "No, no, it was an injury, he's recovering from the injury, so it's not managing him, it's just recovery from the injury. For sure, in the moment that he's available, we also probably need to think to manage him to be in because of the amount of games."

Badiashile builds his match fitness

Benoit Badishile was back in action at Cobham this week. The 24-year-old defender is yet to feature for Chelsea this season, but, with Levi Colwill recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, he could play a key role in Maresca's side.

Brazilian trio partake in recovery session

Estevao, Joao Pedro and Andrey Santos were late returning from international duty, having each featured in Brazil's 1-0 defeat to Bolivia on Wednesday morning (Tuesday night local time). Maresca has confirmed that they didn't train on Thursday, though they did partake in a recovery session.

Long-haul flight delays Caicedo's return

Moises Caicedo only returned to the United Kingdom on Thursday night, meaning he'll only get one training session at Cobham before the Brentford clash. Speaking to reporters on Friday morning, Maresca described the 23-year-old midfielder as a doubt.

"Moi arrived last night, so I didn't see him," said the Chelsea boss. "I will see him today. So for all of them, it's a question mark for tomorrow."

Chelsea youngster called up

Reggie Walsh was spotted training with the first team this week, and the 16-year-old midfielder will be hoping he's done enough to earn a place in Maresca's squad this weekend. The Chelsea boss handed him his senior debut in the Conference League last season, coming off the bench in a 4-1 win over Djurgårdens.

With Dario Essugo sidelined due to injury, Santos and Caicedo being doubts, and Romeo Lavia yet to feature this season, Walsh could be given an opportunity in the English top-flight.