Petr Cech update: McFarlane hopeful Neto and Garnacho fit for final
petr cech headlines a timely Chelsea update: Calum McFarlane said he is very hopeful Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho will be available for next weekend’s FA Cup final. Both players missed Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool and were also absent in the loss to Nottingham Forest earlier this week.
McFarlane On Neto And Garnacho
McFarlane said after the 1-1 draw at Anfield that the pair are dealing with muscle problems, then added that the staff expect them back in training next week. “Yeah, we're very hopeful,” he said.
He was more guarded a moment later. “You have to take these things day by day. We're hoping that they'll be available, but you don't know at this moment in time.”
The update gives Chelsea a clearer path into a final that arrives quickly, with the squad now waiting to see how the two players respond once training resumes. That is the immediate checkpoint for a team trying to get two injured attackers through the final week before the match.
Chelsea’s Injury Timing
Neto and Garnacho have already sat out two recent games, which makes the next training block the only practical test left before the final. McFarlane said, “They're going to get back into training [next week], see how they feel, see how it looks. So fingers crossed.”
The sequence matters because Chelsea have not only been missing bodies; they have been missing the same two players in consecutive matches, first against Nottingham Forest and then at Liverpool. If both respond well next week, the club will have a stronger selection picture for a one-off match that leaves little room to manage around injury.
Anfield And The Week Ahead
The 1-1 draw at Anfield was the setting for McFarlane’s clearest update, and it was the point where Chelsea’s tone shifted from absence to possibility. He did not offer a return date beyond next weekend’s final, but he did map out the process: training, assessment, and a decision based on how they feel and how they look.
For Chelsea, that means the next few sessions are the real checkpoint. Neto and Garnacho were out for muscle problems, and their status now rests on how they come through training before the FA Cup final arrives.
