The derby was his last appearance before Strahinja Pavlovic surrendered to his physical problems. He missed the last away trip to Genoa and the previous home match against Ferencvaros in the Europa League. In recent days, the Serbian (who also missed out on the national team call-up) has been working to recover and join the group tomorrow when training resumes, and above all, to be available for Sunday's match on the 22nd against Frosinone.
Another centre-back among those working towards a return is Tomori: Fik had stopped even earlier, after playing one half of the match against Bologna, as relayed via La Gazzetta dello Sport in this morning's print edition.. This came after a summer in which he had found himself on the fringes of the team, before being reintegrated into the squad. He too could be ready after the international break.
At least another week will be needed before Loftus-Cheek can return. On Sky, Gabbia himself outlined his recovery schedule: "Yes, January could be the time for me to return. We are trying to work very hard. I don't want it to happen again or for there to be any relapses, so it is also right to take the proper amount of time."
As for For Saelemaekers and Chukwueze, the recovery timelines are even longer.
