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The Dutch defender, who joined the club in the summer, has recovered from knee surgery that he underwent soon after his arrival - and will start the game at the Stadio Olimpico.
Di Francesco acknowledged that he could make a number of changes to his side, with three games in seven days for the Giallorossi.
“Rick Karsdorp will start tomorrow but Patrik Schick needs to continue with his recovery programme," Di Francesco said at his pre-match press conference.
“I'm not going to leave Aleksandar Kolarov or Edin Dzeko on the bench at the moment given the form they're in. Their attitude and contribution are important to the team, especially from a mental perspective. They can both play against Crotone, then we'll assess things again when Bologna comes around [on Saturday]."
The coach also revealed that both Cengiz Under and Gerson could be in line for starts, while he is hopeful about the club's defensive options for the coming weeks.
“Federico Fazio might be available for tomorrow's game – I'll have a look at him later today. If he seems fine, he'll be able to play," he added.
"We hope to have Kostas Manolas available for the Chelsea game, although it could slip back to Fiorentina. He's recovering well so we're optimistic."
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