Chelsea have been handed a triple injury blow, with Romeo Lavia struggling to be fit for Sunday’s meeting with Everton and both Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana set to be out for “a long period”.
Maresca takes his side to Goodison Park for the final time in the Premier League this weekend, knowing victory will take them top of the division - at least until Liverpool play Tottenham later the same afternoon.
After injury all but wiped out his first season at Stamford Bridge, Lavia has played a key part in the Blues’s fine start to the campaign but the midfielder missed last weekend’s victory over Brentford with a hamstring problem.
Maresca had been upbeat after that contest about the Belgian’s chance of a swift return, but was less optimistic following Thursday night’s Conference League thrashing of Shamrock Rovers.
“Romeo probably will struggle to play Sunday,” the Italian said. “We will see. It depends.”
Badiashile, meanwhile, also missed the Brentford win after picking up a problem in training the previous day.
The Frenchman’s absence added to Chelsea’s centre-back issues, with Fofana already out with the hamstring injury he picked up against Aston Villa at the start of the month.
"Both are still out and both will still be out for a long period,” said Maresca.
The 44-year-old declined to put an exact timeframe on either player’s return, but did confirm that neither will play again this year.
