Caicedo among Chelsea players who could miss Benfica clash

Moises Caicedo, Joao Pedro and Andrey Santos are doubts for Chelsea’s Champions League game against Benfica.

Speaking at his pre-match news conference on Monday, head coach Enzo Maresca explained that all three players would need to be assessed to see if they are fit enough to be involved in Tuesday’s clash with former Blues boss Jose Mourinho’s side.

“This afternoon we are going to assess Caicedo, Joao Pedro and Andrey Santos,” said Maresca.

“They are all players, unfortunately for us, with small problems. We will see if tomorrow they are going to be available.

“But we have a squad big enough to replace the injuries we have.”

Chelsea go into the game after back-to-back defeats, having lost 3-1 at home to Brighton on Saturday.

But Maresca insisted there was no reason for negativity.

He said: “I think there is no reason to be negative.

“There is no reason to create panic. Football is a crazy world. If you lose five games in six months and feel the need to defend yourself then football is a crazy world.

“I don’t think we need to defend ourselves in this moment because the reality is I have a very good feeling with the squad that we have.”