The defeat to Everton at the weekend was not only one of our worst performances of the season, but it was also the first league game we have played without Felipe Anderson since his arrival from Lazio.
The Brazilian was unable to feature against the Toffees as he had suffered a minor knock to his ankle during the international break.
It was the 2-cap ace’s first recall to the Selecao since 2015, but Anderson was only able to feature for 18 minutes under Tite, thanks to his training ground blow and was forced to sit out the 3-1 win over the Czech Republic.
Thankfully, our top goalscorer seems like he will be back raring to go when we face Chelsea on Monday night, as the 25-year-old has been active on Instagram sharing a snap of him in training.
There are no certainties that it means Manuel Pellegrini will pick the £36million-rated star, but his return to training is a welcome boost ahead of our trip to Stamford Bridge.
Pellegrini, though, will need to see more from the Hammer of the Year contender, as Anderson has struggled for form in 2019, with the winger yet to add to his nine-goal tally since January 26 – his last Premier League goal came on December 27.
Anderson may not be the only player passed fit to face the Pensioners, either, as Football.London are suggesting Marko Arnautovic is currently being assessed, although how much his appearance would be welcomed by some corners of the fanbase remains to be seen.
Ryan Fredericks and Samir Nasri, on the other hand, are still listed as doubts for our trip across London with their expected return dates still unknown. Missing the former Fulham right-back would definitely be a shame after Pablo Zabaleta’s struggles to contain Richarlison at the weekend.
Pellegrini having to play Zabaleta at the Bridge would also go a long way towards triggering his contract extension clause, as the Argentine only needs to start a further two games for us before a one-year deal is automatically triggered.
