Chelsea talisman Eden Hazard will return to action this weekend for Crystal Palace clash
Hazard has been out of action since sustaining a back injury in the draw with Manchester United earlier this month
EDEN HAZARD is set to miss the Carabao Cup tie against Derby but is expected to be fit for the Premier League clash with Crystal Palace on Sunday.
The Belgian star has been out of action since sustaining a back injury in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United earlier this month.
But Hazard was not missed when the Blues beat BATE Borisov in the Europa League and cruised to a 4-0 win at Burnley on Sunday.
However, his imminent return to action is a huge boost for Chelsea, who are two points off the pace in the title race.
Speaking to the media ahead of the League Cup game with the Rams, Stamford Bridge assistant boss Gianfranco Zola indicated the Belgian wizard is set to feature this weekend.
He said: “He’s certainly much better.
“Maybe tomorrow he’s going to be joining us in training.
“I’m not sure he’s going to be involved in the game tomorrow but he’s looking very good for the weekend, so we are pleased because that’s such an important player for us.”
Meanwhile, goal-shy Olivier Giroud and Pedro are struggling ahead of the Stamford Bridge game.
The striker who featured late on at Turf Moor is carrying a knock and the Spaniard was taken off after 30 minutes due to illness.
However, Ethan Ampadu could be available following a knee problem.
Zola added: “Pedro has had a stomach ache and he came off on Sunday.
“He was getting better but I think there is still a little problem, so we don’t know. We are going to assess him tomorrow.
“Giroud has a little fatigue problem with one of the legs and we’re going to assess him as well.
“Ampadu has been back in training yesterday, and today or tomorrow we’re going to decide if he’s going to be part of the team.”