Chelsea could be without up to four players for their trip to face Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.

The Blues head to St James’ Park aiming for a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. Last season, Chelsea overcame Newcastle United on penalties at this same stage before ultimately being defeated by Liverpool in the final at Wembley.

Enzo Maresca’s side travels to the North East fresh off a victory over the Magpies at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, yet may be missing up to four players for the upcoming cup tie. Omari Kellyman, who joined Chelsea from Aston Villa this summer, is set to miss out again due to a hamstring injury and has yet to make a competitive appearance for his new club.

Reece James, Wesley Fofana, and Romeo Lavia are also doubtful for Wednesday’s clash, despite Maresca’s Tuesday afternoon press conference statement that he had no new injury concerns: “No injuries. Everything is fine,” Maresca said.

James, Fofana, and Lavia all featured in Sunday’s match but are expected to be rested on Wednesday as Maresca manages their playing time. All three have recently dealt with injuries, and, as the Italian explained earlier this month, he is cautious about overloading them during their recovery.

“It is complicated when you have injury after injury. It’s not easy, so you’re always looking for a solution,” Maresca remarked.

“Perhaps the solution with Reece is similar to the approach we are taking with Romeo and Wes – playing them only once a week, in one match. Right now, for various reasons, Reece’s body may not be able to cope with two matches a week. One option is to manage him in the same way as Wes and Romeo.”

Chelsea’s fixture list has been demanding, with four matches in six days following their Europa Conference win over Panathinaikos on Thursday and the back-to-back meetings with Newcastle United. With upcoming matches against Manchester United, FC Noah, and Arsenal before the next international break, it is likely that Maresca will continue to rotate his squad and remain cautious about overextending some of his more vulnerable players.