Chelsea will likely feel as though they are back in November 2022 as a significant number of players out are due to injury, with many unlikely to play again this season. The Blues have two games remaining of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign and face several team selection dilemmas in both defence and midfield.
Tomorrow, the Blues face Manchester United and despite their own abysmal season, can have a huge say on who qualifies for the Champions League next season with United in need of one point to seal a spot.
The latest injury setback came over the weekend with Joao Felix a late omission from the matchday squad. That worrying news was then followed by a key defender being ruled for a significant period of time which will likely impact Mauricio Pochettino's plans.
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With that said, football.london has rounded up the latest injury news from Stamford Bridge before Chelsea travel to Man United this Thursday.
Joao Felix
Joao Felix was named on the bench for Chelsea's clash with Manchester City but was not spotted warming up at Etihad Stadium. The Portugal international was then replaced by on the bench by goalkeeper Ethan Wady, rumoured to be suffering from a knock.
Expected return date: Unknown
Benoit Badiashile
Chelsea were dealt another blow heading into the game with City as impressive young defender Benoit Badiashile was ruled out. The Frenchman returned to the side for the draw with Nottingham Forest last weekend after scoring his first goal for the club against Bournemouth.
football.london understands the defender is expected to return in time for the start of next season. Badiashile has proven an update on social media. He said: "Time to recover and come back stronger next season (bicep emoji) thank you all for your messages (three blue heart emojis)."
What Lampard said: "Benoit has injured himself in training two days ago, his groin and will miss the game. We're assessing that now as we speak."
injury: Groin
Expected return date: Pre-season 2023
N'Golo Kante
Chelsea have been dealt yet another blow as their talismanic Frenchman was once more ruled out through injury. He is yet to sign a new deal and will now be a doubt for the rest of the season.
Kante has struggled with fitness all year long having missed the entirety of games between September and March with a long-term hamstring strain. This is now his third separate setback.
What Lampard said: "He felt something in his groin. So that's probably a couple of weeks and we know what that means pretty much. We just have to keep going."
He added ahead of Manchester City: “We're pretty much similar to where we have been recently in terms of Mason, Reece, Chilly, N’Golo, Marc Cucurella not fit."
Injury: Groin
Expected return date: Unknown
Mateo Kovacic
The Croatian was taken off in the first half of the 2-2 draw with Forest after coming into the game as a risk, according to Lampard. He was replaced by Ruben Loftus-Cheek and may now have played his last game for the club.
What Lampard said: "I don't know. I know he had a bit of an issue going into the game. It was clear yesterday in training. I spoke to him before to see how it went. I haven't followed it up since the game to be honest. We hope he's OK."
Injury: Unknown
Expected return date: Unknown
Ben Chilwell
Ben Chilwell was taken off in the 74th minute against Bournemouth after suffering a hamstring injury. The England international suffered a similar issue earlier this season which saw him sidelined for 10 games.
Although he is a doubt to feature again this season, along with James and Mount he has been pictured back in training on the grass at Cobham.
What Lampard said: "Not fit. No we are hoping that Chilly may be fit possibly for the last game or two of the season but that is a tight call. It's a similar story with Mason Mount, maybe a little bit similar with Reece [James] but I feel that Reece might be slightly behind that. So we are obviously chasing it about now."
He added ahead of Manchester City: “We're pretty much similar to where we have been recently in terms of Mason, Reece, Chilly, N’Golo, Marc Cucurella not fit."
Injury: Hamstring
Expected return date: Next season
Marc Cucurella
Cucurella was ruled out of the game against Brentford late on after picking up a knock in training. He too looks set to miss the rest of the season.
What Lampard said: "No he won't be fit for this game and again probably questionable in line with the others for that final week of the season."
He added ahead of Manchester City: “We're pretty much similar to where we have been recently in terms of Mason, Reece, Chilly, N’Golo, Marc Cucurella not fit."
Injury: Quadricep
Expected return date: Next season
Reece James
In the first-half of the Blues' clash against Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge, James was seen feeling his hamstring. The defender appeared to be struggling for a moment or so but he soldiered on and completed 90 minutes, although the latest update from Lampard was not too positive.
James has also been back in some form of outside training, pictured alongside Mount and Chilwell.
What Lampard said: "No we are hoping that Chilly may be fit possibly for the last game or two of the season but that is a tight call. It's a similar story with Mason Mount, maybe a little bit similar with Reece [James] but I feel that Reece might be slightly behind that. So we are obviously chasing it about now."
He added ahead of Manchester City: “We're pretty much similar to where we have been recently in terms of Mason, Reece, Chilly, N’Golo, Marc Cucurella not fit."
Injury: Hamstring
Expected return date: Next season
Mason Mount
Mount has suffered with plenty of injuries this season, with an ongoing pelvic issue plaguing him this season. Another setback means that the club's two-time player of the season is set to miss out on another appearance while speculation grows over his future.
Mount posted an update on Instagram, saying: "Had a minor procedure yesterday to sort out a discomfort I had for a while. Everything went well and I’m feeling good.
"Time to rest but can’t wait to get back to training in the coming weeks! Thanks for all your messages of support and a massive thank you to the medical team, doctors and nurses for looking after me."
He has since returned to outside training as the club posted an image of their England star with the ball at his feet once more.
What Lampard said: "Mason has been carrying this pelvic injury for quite a while, it pre-dates myself. We've been trying and the medical staff have been trying but we've got to the stage now where he'll have a minor surgery. Probably a four-week recovery and we know where that gets us to."
He added ahead of Manchester City: “We're pretty much similar to where we have been recently in terms of Mason, Reece, Chilly, N’Golo, Marc Cucurella not fit."
Injury: Pelvis
Expected return date: Next season
Armando Broja
Chelsea have been without Broja for a while now after the striker suffered a knee injury in a mid-season friendly against Aston Villa. The 20-year-old screamed in pain following a collision with Ezri Konsa and he was subsequently stretchered off the field of play.
He looked to be in considerable pain and was seen to be clutching his leg as he was tended to by medical staff. The Albania international had no history of knee injuries and his injury was a major blow.
Broja has been expected to be out for at least the remainder of the season after learning that he needed surgery to fix a ruptured cruciate ligament in his right knee, football.london reported at the time. However, he's recently been pictured back in individual training at Cobham, albeit mostly gym work.
Additionally, the Evening Standard report that the young striker is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation and is targeting a return to action for Chelsea during their pre-season tour of America.
What Lampard said: N/A
Injury: Knee
Expected return date: Next season
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