Chelsea Could Use Academy Players In Imps Cup Tie

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has confirmed his side could feature some academy players ahead of Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup tie at the Bank.

The Blues head coach also said Cole Palmer will be ‘monitored’, but ruled out the involvement of Benoit Badiashile and Romeo Lavia.

Maresca’s Team News Update

Speaking before his side’s trip to Lincoln, Maresca outlined the latest situation with his squad, starting with Palmer, who was forced off early in their weekend defeat at Old Trafford.

“Cole is probably the only one that we need to assess a little bit. The rest are okay, just recovering from last week.

“He already made a huge effort last Saturday to try and play the game. He tried Saturday morning, he was not 100 per cent, but he wanted to be there to help his team-mates in that kind of game. It was painful [for him], so we decided to change. We await day by day to see how he is and then decide what we do.”

The Italian also gave a timeline update on two players still sidelined, though with signs of progress.

“[Benoit and Romeo] will not be back for this game, unfortunately. They both took part in the session yesterday, which is good news, and hopefully they can be available soon.”

Academy Players to Feature?

With injury concerns and a packed schedule, Maresca admitted he is likely to turn to the club’s youth ranks for the visit to Sincil Bank. The last time Chelsea academy players came to the Bank, they were beaten on penalties.

Trevoh Chalobah was one of the senior players back then, and he could feature tomorrow, as well as Reece James. Samuel Rak-Sakyi, Luton-born Harrison Murray-Campbell and Genesis Antwi are among the academy players who could appear.

Obviously, this Blues side will also feature some senior players, and the boss of the reigning World Champions was quick to stress the need for focus.

“You can sleep very easy in these kind of games. Football is full of these games. I am very worried about that, but for sure, we will have some players from the academy, like we have always done.”

Chelsea are entering the Carabao Cup at this stage, while we have already beaten Harrogate Town and Burton Albion to earn our first competitive outing against the Blues since 1911.