Frank Lampard has confirmed Kalidou Koulibaly will miss Chelsea's next two games after he limped off with a muscular injury in the defeat to Real Madrid in the week.
Koulibaly pulled up after sprinting back to chase a loose ball at the Santiago Bernabeu and was replaced by Marc Cucurella on 55 minutes. The Senegal international will not be available for this weekend's Premier League clash with Brighton and he will also miss the return leg against Los Blancos next week.
Lampard said on Koulibaly: "He won't be available for either game. A matter of weeks rather than days.
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"He's a very good, very experienced player. People talk a lot about our squad, Champions League squad is different to Premier League and a disappointment but also an opportunity."
Lampard could be set to make a host of changes to his Chelsea side on Saturday against Brighton with the second-leg against Real Madrid just a few days later. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be handed a rare Chelsea start after making a brief cameo against Wolves last weekend.
The interim Blues head coach didn't want to give too much away in terms of his team selection, but he did praise the Chelsea number nine. "We'll see," Lampard said when quizzed on what role Aubameyang will have against Brighton.
"The players have to feel when they train and how they prepare, the competitive nature in the squad to get a place in the team needs to be high. You have to compete in training. History says he has a fantastic goal scoring record."
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