Chelsea injury nightmare continues as Maresca reveals star duo to miss Nottingham Forest game

Suraj Radia
Suraj Radia
  • 18 Oct 2025 12:43 BST
  • 4 min read
Enzo Maresca, Chelsea
© IMAGO

Chelsea’s injury problems have intensified after Enzo Maresca confirmed two of their key players and best performers this season would miss Saturday’s game against Nottingham Forest.

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The Blues are in the midst of an injury crisis which has seen a number of defenders suffer injuries, the latest being Benoit Badiashile, who will be missing until December after picking up an injury during his impressive performance versus Liverpool.

Maresca confirmed this week that Cole Palmer is also set to be sidelined for six weeks with a recurrence of a groin injury he suffered in August during the build up to the new season.

And the Chelsea boss has been hit with a further blow after first-choice midfield pairing Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez were left out of the line-up for the game against Forest.

Caicedo was only fit enough to make the bench after missing training on Friday, while Maresca played down the severity of Fernandez’s injury, insisting the Argentine would soon be back in the team.

"It's not a big concern. He's out for a problem, for an injury, and hopefully he can be back very soon," Maresca told TNT Sport. "It’s not just about Enzo and Moi. We need to try and find a different solution. We are going to try to find a solution.”

Intense summer taking toll on Chelsea players

Chelsea are dealing with a heavy load of injuries just weeks into the new season, having had a restless summer playing in the Club World Cup and it appears the strain could be taking its load on the squad.

Enzo Fernandez has been a top performer for Chelsea this season.
© IMAGO - Enzo Fernandez has been a top performer for Chelsea this season.

Palmer’s injury is one that he aggravated against Manchester United in September, having initially injured his groin during the warm up versus West Ham in August.

Caicedo, meanwhile, had previously played every minute of Chelsea’s Premier League season so far, while Fernandez had only missed 11 minutes of action prior to Saturday.

Chelsea are also without Levi Colwill, Liam Delap and Dario Essugo through long-term injuries, while Wesley Fofana also missed out against Forest, although reports have claimed his absence is not injury related.

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