Chelsea Rest Pedro Neto for Qarabag Match

Enzo Maresca press conference 

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca confirms Pedro Neto will not play against Qarabag in the Champions League.

“Not a problem, just a small issue. We'll try to protect him. He's not involved in tomorrow's game...”

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca announced that winger Pedro Neto will miss the team's Champions League match against Qarabag in Azerbaijan's capital Baku on Wednesday. Neto sustained a calf issue during Saturday's Premier League win at Tottenham Hotspur.

Maresca emphasized that Neto's absence is a precautionary measure, aiming to prevent further injury and ensure the player's availability for future matches. Chelsea will look to secure their third consecutive win in the competition without Neto.

“Not a problem, just a small issue. We'll try to protect him. He's not involved in tomorrow's game,” the coach said.

“For sure, we need to rotate some of the players because I think we come back in London at 6 a.m. (07:00 CET) on Friday and then we have a game on Saturday. We'll try to adapt and do our best.”

Seventh-placed Chelsea are set to face bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League at 21:00 CET on Saturday. The Blues are looking to bounce back from a tough start to their continental campaign, which saw them lose to Bayern Munich but followed by wins over Benfica and Ajax.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca says Pedro Neto is out of tomorrow's match at Qarabag with a "small issue" 🔵 pic.twitter.com/2N8T3DZDG4

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 4, 2025

Chelsea currently sit 11th in the Champions League standings, tied on six points with 13th-placed Qarabag. With a strong squad and determined players, Chelsea will be looking to secure a win against Wolves and boost their Premier League standings.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca expressed his admiration for Qarabag manager Gurban Gurbanov's remarkable tenure at the club. “Something I've never seen. It's unbelievable. 17 years with the same club, it's amazing,” Maresca said, highlighting Gurbanov's incredible achievement of leading Qarabag to 11 Azerbaijan Premier League titles since 2008.

Maresca also provided an update on midfielder Cole Palmer's injury status, expressing uncertainty about his availability for the Champions League match against Barcelona on November 25. “Palmer is always needed for us. Unfortunately, we will not be able to see him tomorrow in the match against Qarabag. We hope that he will recover from his injury quickly and return to us,” Maresca stated, adding to the speculation surrounding Palmer's potential return.

“(Cole) isn't taking any sessions with the team. We have (centre-back) Benoit Badiashile who can probably be available after the international break and for us that's huge news,” he said.