Chelsea’s lineup appears to have been revealed early ahead of their match against Southampton, giving Enzo Maresca a significant advantage.

The French defender was initially expected to miss the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury in December. The severity of the injury led to concerns that he would be sidelined for several months, preventing him from playing any further role in Chelsea’s campaign. However, in a surprising turn of events, he has made an earlier-than-anticipated return to training and is now gradually preparing to reintegrate into competitive matches.

According to reports from RMC Sport, Fofana will be included in the matchday squad for Chelsea’s upcoming home fixture against Southampton. Despite this positive development, it remains uncertain whether he will be named in the starting lineup, as he is still in the process of regaining full match fitness following his recovery. Chelsea’s defensive options have been stretched thin in recent weeks, with both Benoît Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah currently unavailable due to their own respective injuries.

Since making a high-profile £75 million move from Leicester City in 2022, Fofana has faced persistent injury setbacks, limiting his impact at the club. Over the course of nearly three years, he has only managed to feature in 27 Premier League matches. His injury woes reached a peak during the 2023/24 season, as he was forced to sit out the entire campaign.

There was some initial confusion regarding the timeline of his recovery, particularly following an incident on December 1, when he had to be substituted during Chelsea’s victory over Aston Villa. At the time, manager Enzo Maresca indicated that Fofana might be ruled out for the remainder of the season. However, the defender himself appeared to dispute this prognosis, allegedly sending a message to a fan page in which he claimed he expected to be back in action within four to six weeks.

Now that his return is imminent, it appears that his own prediction was relatively accurate, with Maresca bringing him back into the fold sooner than many had initially expected. Although Chelsea’s defensive injury crisis is beginning to ease, the club still faces significant challenges in attack. Several key forwards are currently unavailable, with Nicolas Jackson, Marc Guiu, and Noni Madueke all ruled out, while Mykhaylo Mudryk is suspended.