Maresca confirms Chelsea midfield duo are injured

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed that the Blues are without Dario Essugo and Romeo Lavia with injuries ahead of the Carabao Cup third round tie against Lincoln City on the road.

The Blues had a good start to the campaign, but things have fallen off since the international break. They shared the spoils against Brentford in the Premier League after conceding a late equaliser.

They were second best in the 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. This was followed by a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in the Premier League where Robert Sanchez was sent off in the fifth minute.

Speaking in today's press conference, Maresca said that he has no room to rest Moises Caicedo in the Carabao Cup with Essugo and Lavia sidelined. The latter has trained but won't be involved against Lincoln.

He said: "In this moment, Dario and Romeo is injured [so we cannot give Moises Caicedo a rest]. I don't think it's random the amount of injuries we have [alluding to the Club World Cup]."