Having lost 5-2 away in Paris, not many are expecting Chelsea to turn it around in the second leg. The Blues actually were not bad in the first leg. For 75 minutes, they were very much in the tie. But then, a late collapse allowed the European holder’s to score thrice and possibly put the fixture beyond the Club World Champions.
A bigger worry for Liam Rosenior will be the fact that his side looked tired and toothless at the weekend against Newcastle United. This is a team trending downwards. And if things don’t improve, it could get a lot worse than just being knocked out of the Champions League.
One thing is for sure, Chelsea will need to have their best players available if they are to have any hope of turning this tie around when PSG come visiting in the second leg. There is mixed news in that regard.
Estevao has made a return to training. The Blues have certainly missed the Brazilian’s X-factor in recent games. But on the other hand, a key player was not involved, raising fears that he could miss the second leg.
Estevao returns to training but Reece James not involved
According to BBC Sport, Estevao was back in training on Monday but it remains unclear whether he will be available against PSG. On the other hand, Reece James was not involved. Filip Jorgensen did not take part either.
It is expected that Rosenior will shed light on the situation when he speaks ahead of the PSG matchup. If James does miss out, it will be a big miss though.
Chelsea fears grow ahead of PSG visit to Stamford Bridge
The fact that James completed the game against Newcastle United will give the fans hope that there is no serious injury concern. Then again, considering his fitness record, you can never be certain.
It is also worth pointing out that James has started and completed back-to-back games. That is something he has rarely done under the club’s load management strategy for him. Will they risk playing him thrice within the space of a week?
As for Estevao, he has not played since early February. That was the win over Hull City in the FA Cup fourth round. Incidentally, the Brazilian winger scored on the day.
There is no doubt that Chelsea have missed a player like him going forward. He brings something to the team that nobody else does, not even Cole Palmer at the moment. Every time the Brazilian is on the ball, it feels like something could happen. They will need that chaos if they want to turn it around against PSG.
It would be unrealistic to expect Estevao to start against PSG, after not playing in over a month. Truth be told, that would be an unnecessary risk to take.He should be eased back into action. But even if the Brazilian international is available on the bench, it would give Rosenior an option capable of making an impact as a substitute.
