Chelsea have suffered a fresh injury blow just days before resuming their Premier League campaign.Next up is another London derby as Enzo Maresca’s side face Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday night.

However, the Italian tactician has been handed some bad news on the injury front ahead of the short trip across town.Dario EssugoDario Essugo has had surgery on a thigh injury he suffered on Portugal Under-21s duty.The £18.5million summer signing felt a “muscle problem in his right thigh” during training, the Portuguese Football Federations revealed.Chelsea fear Essugo will be ruled out for a minimum of 12 weeks, meaning he may not be available for selection until 2026.Read More“The 20-year-old sustained the injury whilst on international duty for Portugal’s Under-21s.“Medical assessments confirmed surgery would be the required course of action and Dario will now begin his recovery at Cobham, supported by the club’s medical department.”Potential return date: Early 2026Liam DelapChelsea’s £30million summer signing pulled up while trying to chase down an early long ball against Fulham, immediately grabbing his right hamstring and receiving medical attention.Blow: Liam DelapAdam Davy/PA WireIt has since been reported that Chelsea fear Delap could be out for longer than feared as he prepares to undergo a scan, making it very difficult indeed to predict an accurate return date at this stage.Potential return date: UnknownCole PalmerCole Palmer withdrew from the Chelsea starting XI against West Ham before kick-off after suffering a groin injury in the warm-up.

Maresca later revealed that the attacking midfielder played through the issue on opening day against Crystal Palace.He was ruled out of the win over Fulham and omitted from Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad for 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia, with Maresca describing his status as “day by day”.It remains to be seen exactly when Palmer will be ready to return, but fans will be hoping he’s fit quickly after the international break.Potential return date: SeptemberAlejandro GarnachoThe winger has trained with his new Chelsea team-mates – well those not called up for international duty – but having not played a single minute of pre-season with Man Utd, he is short of match sharpness.As a result, Garnacho should be available to make his Blues debut against Brentford but it’s more than likely he will be named among the substitutes as he is probably not ready to start and play 90 minutes just yet.Potential return date: September 13, 2025 vs Brentford (A)Romeo LaviaThe Belgian midfielder has not played for Chelsea since their Club World Cup last-16 win over Benfica in late June, having been struggling with an unspecified muscle issue ever since.Maresca said before the win over Fulham that he hoped Lavia would be closer to returning following the international break, but would not be ready for action straightaway.Chelsea will be desperately hoping that the former Southampton star can finally prove his fitness after an injury-plagued spell at Stamford Bridge so far.Potential return date: September/OctoberBenoit BadiashileBadiashile is a very similar case to Lavia, having not played since picking up a similarly unspecified injury in that same game against Benfica.He was said to be working his way towards a return in September, with Chelsea’s defensive ranks already impacted by Colwill’s anterior cruciate ligament injury that will see the latter miss most of the season.And like Lavia, Maresca hopes Badiashile will be closer to returning after the international break, but doesn’t expect him back straightaway.Potential return date: September/October