Romeo Lavia remains sidelined for Chelsea ahead of Crystal Palace clash

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that midfielder Romeo Lavia won’t be available for their Premier League clash against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on February 12.

In a pre-match press conference, Pochettino provided an injury update on Lavia, saying:

“Still he’s not training with the team. Still he’s recovering, so it is impossible for him to be back before the Carabao Cup final. He’s still not on the pitch.”

The Blues signed Lavia from Southampton last summer for £55 million. Liverpool were also highly interested in signing him but the Belgian midfielder chose to join Chelsea. However, he’s been able to make just one appearance for the club due to injury.

Lavia came through Anderlecht’s youth system before joining Manchester City’s U18 side in 2020. He then moved to Southampton in the summer of 2022 and made 34 appearances for them across competitions.

While Lavia couldn’t help the Saints avoid relegation, his performances impressed Liverpool and Chelsea and he eventually joined the latter.

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Meanwhile, for the Blues, it’s not all bad news as defenders Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah are back in full training. Pochettino said:

“And then maybe Levi will be back on Monday, we need to wait until Sunday to see if it is possible for him to be available. The other news is that Chalobah is doing well, he’s training with the team.”

Colwill has made 27 appearances this season while Chalobah hasn’t featured even once so far.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are 11^th in the Premier League table. They have lost their last two league games and will expect a comeback against Crystal Palace on Monday.