Chelsea are battling to contain the spread of a virus in their squad ahead of Saturday's Premier League derby against Brentford. Striker Liam Delap and winger Jamie Gittens both missed Wednesday's Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg defeat to Arsenal due to flu and have been absent from training at Cobham.
Delap was ruled out just four hours before kick-off at Stamford Bridge, while Gittens had been struggling the previous evening. Head coach Liam Rosenior confirmed both are still recovering at home, and several staff members have also fallen ill.
"The club doctors are looking to contain a virus because some of our staff have gone down as well," Rosenior said during a press conference on Thursday. "We had a meeting today, telling everyone to wash their hands and everything which is really important."
There was better news with Cole Palmer and captain Reece James returning to training a day earlier than expected after respective thigh and hip issues. Malo Gusto should be available for Saturday, and Moises Caicedo returns from suspension.
Romeo Lavia is working away from the main group as he recovers from a quad injury, with no timeframe for his return. Dario Essugo is fit again following thigh surgery, though Levi Colwill remains a long-term absentee with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, and Mykhailo Mudryk is still unavailable.
