Six players poised to miss Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea as Enzo Maresca faces key decisions

Chelsea return to action after the international break with a trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, and Enzo Maresca has some injury issues to contend with.

The Blues earnedan impressive 2-1 win over reigning Premier League champions Liverpool before the break - ending a run of three league games without a win. Maresca's side will now be hoping to build on that victory when they travel to a struggling Forest team on Saturday (12.30pm).

Ange Postecoglou's team are on a run of seven games without a win - having failed to secure a victory across all competitions since the Australian took over on September 9. And both teams will head into the clash at the City Ground with injury worries within their squads.

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Cole Palmer was forced to come off during the first half of Chelsea's clash against Manchester United on September 20 due to a groin injury. The 23-year-old midfielder has missed each of the Blues' last four games across all competitions, and it is expected he won't return until November.

Palmer was subsequently ruled out of England's recent matches against Wales and Latvia. Thomas Tuchel warned Palmer that his injury could become 'chronic' if not properly treated.

And when asked about the injury, Maresca said: "Yeah, we decided to protect a little bit, Cole, in terms of him not getting a worse injuries. So we decided to rest him for the next two, three weeks, probably until international break, just to see if with that rest he can be able to recover 100 per cent and to be completely fit after the international break.

"No, I don't think he needs surgery. It's just a matter of managing his pain and his groin. The amount of games is something that can happen.

"So this is the reason why we try to be conservative with him to give him rest, and hopefully he can be 100 per cent fit after the international break."

Elsewhere, Liam Delap suffered a hamstring injury during Chelsea's 2-0 win over Fulham just before the last international break. Fortunately, the 22-year-old striker, whom the Blues signed from Ipswich Town for £30m in the summer, did not require surgery on the issue.

Dario Essugo, meanwhile, suffered a thigh injury during the September international break. The club confirmed that the Portugal Under-21 midfielder, who Chelsea signed from Sporting CP this summer, underwent surgery and has been enrolled in a rehabilitation programme at Cobham training ground.

Chelsea's final unavailable player for Saturday's game is Levi Colwill, who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the start of pre-season. Maresca will desperately miss the 22-year-old defender, but the Chelsea boss won't want to rush him back and risk aggravating the issue.

Question marks surround Enzo Fernandez after he returned home early from international duty due to inflammation in his right knee, with Maresca set to provide an update in Friday morning's press conference.

In terms of Forest - It remains to be seen whether Oleksandr Zinchenko has recovered from a groin problem. Meanwhile, fellow full-back Ola Aina remains a long-term absentee following hamstring surgery.