The hope was that Chelsea would be in a better position when it comes to the fitness of the squad, coming out of the international break. Somehow, it seems to have gotten worse. Cole Palmer is set to be out for at least six more weeks. On the other hand, Benoit Badiashile's injury appears to have been worse than first thought as well and he will be out until December. And that is not the end of it either.
Several others seem to be carrying issues, hopefully short-term, heading into the game against Nottingham Forest. There are question marks around the participation of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Pedro Neto this weekend, after the trio missed training recently.
There is some good news on that end. It looks like at least one of them could be in contention to feature against Nottingham Forest.
As reported by The Standard, Pedro Neto has been spotted in Chelsea training ahead of the game against Nottingham Forest. It has been noted that Fernandez was also present.
Chelsea spotted back in training before Nottingham Forest game
That is no guarantee that Neto will be available at the weekend. But at the very least, it does raise hopes that it could happen. Now, let's see how it evolves from here.
Neto has faced a bit of criticism lately for not affecting games enough. He was tremendous during the Club World Cup and needs to carry on in that manner, if he is not to lose his place in the team.
On the right flank, Estevao is certainly breathing down his neck for a starting spot. He scored the winner against Liverpool before adding a brace for Brazil during the international break. On the opposite side, things look a bit dimmer. Jamie Gittens has struggled to make an impact in the Premier League and Alejandro Garnacho has not hit the ground running either since joining from Manchester United in the summer.