Chelseavs.Brighton

Since signing from Southampton for an initial £53m fee in August 2023, Lavia has made just three appearances in all competitions.

After only making one substitute outing during 2023-24 courtesy of ankle and thigh injuries, the 20-year-old successfully came through pre-season without further issues.

That led to the Belgium international being handed a start against Manchester City on the opening weekend of the season, as well as making an appearance versus Servette in the first leg of the Europa Conference League playoff tie with Servette.

However, Lavia has not made an appearance for Chelsea since August 23, spending longer on the sidelines on this occasion than initially anticipated.

What has Maresca had to say?

With Chelsea in the middle of a five-game streak over a short space of time, Maresca has naturally been quizzed on the progress of the big-money signing.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday afternoon, the Italian acknowledged that Lavia is "finally" in a position to return to the squad.

He said: "Romeo is available for tomorrow. The only player (not available) is Reece [James].

Asked whether Lavia could start, Maresca added: "We will see. We have one more session now and we decide, but the important thing is, finally, he is back".

Is a Lavia recall likely?

Had Chelsea been struggling of late, Lavia may have been in prime position to be thrust back into the starting lineup as soon as possible.

In this instance, though, and with Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez having been rested against Barrow on Tuesday night, he is highly likely to find himself among the replacements.

Ideally, Maresca will look to hand Lavia an outing off the substitutes' bench with the view of him starting against Gent in Thursday's Europa Conference League fixture.

If Lavia is named in the squad, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall may be the player to drop out.