Chelsea hopeful Liam Delap will return much sooner

Liam Delap picked up an injury in the previous Premier League match, and early indications suggested he would miss a lengthy stretch of games. However, his recovery could progress faster than initially feared.

Details: According to Matt Law, Chelsea expect the English striker to return within four weeks. The London club even believe Delap could be back sooner than that. It now appears the earlier reports of a two-month layoff were significantly overstated.

Delap was injured in the first half after a collision inside the penalty area and was forced to leave the pitch. It is his second major setback of the season.

We also reported that medical examinations had confirmed the seriousness of the injury, projecting Delap to be sidelined for six to eight weeks.

Reminder: Chelsea are preparing for their upcoming UEFA Champions League clash with Atalanta, but they are doing so without their star Cole Palmer, who missed the latest training session.