Chelsea's Defensive Dilemma: Eight Players Unavailable as Enzo Maresca Addresses Liverpool Showdown

INJURIES have been a key factor in Chelsea’s turbulent start to the season, and they’re not letting up on Enzo Maresca.

The Italian boss revealed in his Friday press conference that EIGHT players will be missing from his squad for the

Tosin Adarabioyo and Trevoh Chalobah will both miss Chelsea’s clash with Liverpool Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill are huge absences for the Blues

If the Blues are beaten, they will fall 10 points behind the reigning champions after just seven games, though Maresca believes his team will still be competing with the top sides come the end of the season.

An injury to in the first training session of the season saw their first-choice centre-half ruled out for most of this campaign, after he was forced to undergo surgery on an ACL injury.

And now a mixture of other injuries and suspensions means the Blues are left with just Benoit Badiashile, who has played 92 minutes of since the end of June as a ‘senior’ option at the back, aged 24.

‘s suspension, compounded by a concussion to Wesley Fofana, and a calf injury to , means have FOUR central defenders missing for the visit of Liverpool.

Aside from Badiashile, Maresca will need to call on either or , both aged 19, to play against one of the most formidable attacks in the Premier League on Saturday.

Chelsea’s manager, however, insists he fully trusts those players, despite their age, saying: “Cole is still out, Trev is suspended, we have seven or eight players out for tomorrow’s game.

“It is a fact that I really trust the young players. Not just the ones we buy, but those from the academy. Josh Acheampong has played, which shows I trust young players. We have four or five defenders out. We are going to try and adapt and find the right solution for tomorrow.

“I consider them (Liverpool) the best team in at the moment because they have shown that, and they won the Premier League. We are improving and trying to solve problems. For sure, in the end, we will be there and close.”

Those problems for Maresca, of course, haven’t just been defensively or in terms of discipline, he also has a number of creative and goal-scoring injuries to contend with.

, Andrey Santos, Dario Essugo and will also be missing from the game against Liverpool, while Moises Caicedo and Joao Pedro have been playing in every game despite not being at full fitness.

Caicedo and Pedro were both doubts for the game against , but ended up playing regardless, the former for the entire 90 minutes.

With Palmer and Delap missing, the creative burden falls on ‘s latest sensation, Estevao, or Brighton loanee , with Pedro expected to start as the striker once more.

The Blues will at least be boosted by Romeo Lavia’s return for a cameo in the vs Benfica, though Maresca will be wary of rushing him back in a game that will be so intense.