Chelsea without six players but receive double injury boost ahead of Burnley clash
Chelsea have several fitness doubts ahead of their clash with Burnley on Saturday. Manager Mauricio Pochettino was handed fresh concerns over some of his players during the international break.
It was announced by the Blues on Wednesday that midfielder Romeo Lavia will miss the remainder of the season after a setback in his recovery, having made only one appearance in the campaign. A club statement said: “Recent medical assessments have confirmed that Lavia, who sustained a significant thigh injury against Crystal Palace back in December, will not feature again this season.”
In terms of players on international duty, Cole Palmer did not feature in either England friendly but was pictured in training at Cobham alongside Malo Gusto, who recovered from the illness that kept him out of the France U21 squad. Chelsea announced that Carney Chukwuemeka had withdrawn from England U21 duty on Monday to work on his fitness as he looks to build on his recent goal against Leicester City.
Defender Levi Colwill has been ruled out of England contention due to a toe injury. When asked about the defender, Pochettino said: “We only found out after the [Brentford] game. We finished with two players who then couldn’t train. Levi’s problem is his toe.”
Fellow defender Reece James has endured another injury-hit campaign. The right-back is recovering from a hamstring issue and could return to action next month.
“We were talking and he has started his recovery, one day closer to being with the group,” Pochettino explained. “This is really positive and we’re all positive around him, we are going to help.”
Centre-back Wesley Fofana has been a long-term absentee with an ACL injury and is not expected to feature this season, though he is back out on the grass. Young midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu joins him on the sidelines, having been out with a hamstring injury since December and with no timescale set for his possible return.
In attack, Christopher Nkunku has suffered a similarly frustrating campaign. The former RB Leipzig has picked up several injuries, limiting him to ten appearances in his debut season at Stamford Bridge.
“I think he suffered a problem in his hamstring and we will see in a few weeks if he can be again available,” the Chelsea boss said. “But yes, now he is doing recovery from Sunday. A little bit unlucky, bad luck because to suffer again another setback.
“It’s always tough for a player that didn’t play too much during the season that also came from the Bundesliga, from Germany, with some problems. He was so good in the pre-season. It is a difficult season for him. It is difficult to accept another injury and to delay to play more consistent.”