Chelsea are working to contain the spread of a virus at their training ground ahead of Saturday's west London derby against Brentford in the Premier League. The club confirmed that strikers Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens both missed Wednesday's Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg defeat to Arsenal because of flu, with Gittens feeling unwell on Tuesday and Delap ruled out just four hours before kick-off at Stamford Bridge.
Neither player trained at Cobham on Thursday as they recover at home, while a number of staff members have also fallen ill. Manager Liam Rosenior said the club held a meeting to remind everyone of good hygiene practices, including regular hand-washing, in an attempt to prevent further infection. “The club doctors are looking to contain a virus because some of our staff have gone down as well,” Rosenior said. “We had a meeting today, telling everyone to wash their hands and everything which is really important and hopefully we can contain it.”
There was more positive news for Chelsea on Thursday as Cole Palmer and captain Reece James returned to training, a day earlier than expected in Palmer's case, after overcoming thigh and hip problems respectively. Both had missed Rosenior's first two matches in charge against Charlton and Arsenal.
For Saturday's match with Brentford, Malo Gusto is expected to be available again, while Moises Caicedo returns in midfield after serving his suspension. However, Romeo Lavia remains sidelined with a quad injury and no timeframe has been given for his return, though he has begun working away from the main group.
Dario Essugo is fit again following thigh surgery and was an unused substitute in the past two games, but Levi Colwill continues his long recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained in pre-season. Mykhailo Mudryk remains unavailable for selection.
