Enzo Maresca has revealed that Chelsea could welcome back both Liam Delap and Estevao Willian for their game against Aston Villa.
The Blues host Villa on December 27, following their trip to Newcastle United this weekend.
Delap has been out with a shoulder injury which he sustained in the 0-0 draw at Bournemouth, while fellow new recruit Estevao has been out with a “small muscular problem” that kept him out of the 3-1 win at Cardiff in midweek.
However, Maresca think that both could be fit to face the Villans after Christmas, although the Tyneside trip will be too soon for the pair.
"We are good,” Maresca said at his pre-match press conference.
“The ones we left out for Cardiff are OK. We will have Liam Delap and [Estevao] probably available for the next game against Villa.
“We didn’t know exactly how long [Delap would be out], but he’s progressing very well.”
There is still no sign of a return for Romeo Lavia, Essugo and Levi Colwill, who are longer-term absentees.
The Blues travel to the north-east sat in fourth in the Premier League table, but they are five points adrift of Aston Villa in third.
Their opponents tomorrow, Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, are 12th, but the Toon are out to make amends for their Tyne-Wear derby defeat by Sunderland last time out.
They returned to winning ways with an injury-time win over Fulham in midweek to keep their League Cup title defence alive, as Lewis Miley popped up with a last-minute header.
