Chelsea players on international duty are preparing for their final games and thinking about a return to Cobham.
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We're just over a week from Chelsea's next Premier League game (thank god), and it's already time to start thinking about who Xabi Alonso is going to be able to pick in that game.
Exceptionally good Chelsea Twitter user Carefree Youth has made a list of the senior players on international duty this week and when their last game is:
Valentin Barco (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Of that group, the majority are playing in Europe a short flight away from London.
The exceptions are Estevao, who is playing in India (but then has a full week before our game) and the Argentines Emi Martinez and Valentin Barco. They play in the early hours of Wednesday morning in Argentina, then face a long trip home. They will probably only have one training session at Cobham after a long flight home on Wednesday/Thursday.
As a goalkeeper, Martinez should be able to handle it physically – but Barco likely won't be risked if he plays significant minutes for his country.
As Carefree Youth points out, the good news is that Chelsea are playing at home, removing an extra hurdle from preparations and making tight turnovers for the likes of Martinez even more feasible.
Another talented South American winger has popped up on Chelsea's radar, and we could see bids for him if he continues to improve.
Chelsea midfielder Valentin Barco is only starting to get minutes for us now – but his debut in senior football came a long time ago.
