Chelsea have been handed a boost in their hopes to qualify for the next round of the Champions League as Lille’s Renato Sanches looks set to miss their last-16 second-leg match.
The 24-year-old Portuguese midfielder has been in sensational form for the Ligue 1 champions this season and has been a key member of their squad hoping to progress in UEFA’s premier competition.
To do so they will need to overhaul a 2-0 deficit inflicted by the Blues in the first leg of their tie at Stamford Bridge where goals from Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic put the Premier League side comfortably on their way to the quarter-finals.
The reverse fixture at the Stade Pierra Mauroy takes place on Wednesday evening but Lille will be without the influential Sanches after he came off 25 minutes into a 0-0 draw with AS Saint-Etienne on Friday.
The club have since released a statement outlining the extent of the injury, which will see him sit on the sidelines for up to three weeks before being able to return.
"Renato Sanches underwent tests this morning following the injury contracted on Friday during the match between LOSC and AS Saint-Étienne," read the statement.
"The midfielder has suffered an injury to the biceps femoris muscle in his left thigh.
"His unavailability is estimated at three weeks, depending on the clinical evolution of his injury."
This is Sanches’ ninth hamstring injury of his career, with the 24-year-old having already missed 69 matches due to 18 different injuries as a player.
That isn’t enough to keep away his suitors across Europe though, with Arsenal and Juventus both reportedly keen on acquiring his services this summer.
