Wesley Fofana set for Chelsea return as Enzo Maresca eyes Bournemouth response

Fofana was a notable omission from the starting line-up at Villa Park on Saturday despite forming a solid centre-back partnership with Trevoh Chalobah in recent weeks. The duo have been Chelsea's preferred pairing for much of the season and have played a key role in a run of clean sheets.

Maresca explained that the call to leave Fofana out was made with the congested schedule in mind.

"We have another game in 72 hours, so we need to manage Wes," Maresca said. "He's an important player for us. We have so many games that, for sure, all of them are going to play games."

The Italian's comments suggested the France international is expected to be involved from the start when Bournemouth visit Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, as Chelsea aim to bounce back quickly.

Cucurella's withdrawal in the second half also drew attention, especially as the Spain international had been one of Chelsea's more consistent performers on the day before being replaced by Malo Gusto.

Maresca confirmed the substitution was forced rather than tactical.

"Because he was complaining about his hamstring, so we don't know if it's an injury now or not," Maresca said. "So he asked for the change."

Chelsea will assess Cucurella ahead of Tuesday's match, with Maresca emphasising the need to manage players carefully during a demanding period.

There was also cautious optimism as Liam Delap and Estevao both returned to action as substitutes after injury layoffs. However, Maresca acknowledged that Chelsea must quickly turn their attention to Bournemouth, with squad rotation and fitness set to play a key role in the midweek test.