Man Cityvs.Chelsea

Earlier this week, the Blues recorded a 3-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers without the likes of Levi Colwill, Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez at their disposal.

Although it was revealed by Maresca that Lavia faced time on the sidelines, it was unclear at the time whether Colwill and Fernandez would come back into contention for the trip to the Etihad Stadium.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference on Friday morning, Maresca has suggested that he expects to have the pair in his squad for the showdown with Pep Guardiola's side.

Maresca said: "Probably Levi and Enzo could be available, it depends on today's session. Romeo will be out.

On Lavia, he added: "We don't know yet but could be a few weeks more."

With Lavia having only made one substitute outing last season, caution has been taken with his game time during 2024-25, yet he remains with nine starts and three substitute outings to his name.

Furthermore, the £53m signing is yet to complete 90 minutes in a Chelsea shirt, casting doubt over how useful he could be during the closing four months of the season.

Nevertheless, when pushed on possible transfer business before the February 3 deadline, Maresca indicated that there were no plans to add a fresh face to that area of the pitch.

The Italian said: "No, we have in this moment, enough players to cover that situation with Moi [Caicedo], Enzo and Kiernan [Dewsbury-Hall]. The intention is not to go for one more midfielder."

What are Chelsea's possibilities?

Chelsea have had the option of recalling Andrey Santos or Lesley Ugochukwu from their respective loan stints at Strasbourg and Southampton.

In both cases, though, they are earning regular game time and making a positive impression, the preference seemingly being to allow them to remain where they are.

The West Londoners have been credited with an interest in Hellas Verona midfielder Reda Belahyane, who is allegedly viewed as a replacement for Cesare Casadei when he completes a transfer to a Serie A club.

Maresca's comments suggest otherwise, however, with academy graduate Samuel Rak-Sakyi potentially viewed as someone who could step up to take on a backup role for the senior team.

Written by

Darren Plant