Chelsea have had limited time to prepare for their Premier League clash against Brighton this weekend after the Champions League quarter-final defeat to Real Madrid took place on Wednesday. With Thursday likely set aside as a day off or for the Chelsea squad to travel back to London, the players returned to Cobham training ground for their only session ahead of Saturday's game.
One player missing from the session would have been Koulibaly, with interim boss Frank Lampard revealing his hamstring injury will see him miss the next two games. His confirmed absence will likely serve as a great opportunity for several other Chelsea defenders to stake their claim for a spot in the team, with Lampard also throwing down the gauntlet to other members on the fringes of the first-team squad.
"I want to be part of a process in this period where players have an opportunity," Lampard said in his pre-Brighton press conference. "If they train, if they deserve to play, then they get an opportunity on the pitch and they can show what they can do.
