Chelsea will be aiming to bounce back from their Manchester City disappointment on Tuesday night as they face Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Blues travel to the Amex Stadium aiming to get back on track following defeat at the Etihad Stadium.
Their opponents - Graham Potter’s Seagulls - are enjoying a very impressive season though and sit ninth in the Premier League table.
"I agree with you that they are a tough side to beat and play against. It is the first time for me to play against them in their stadium and they are not shy to play one-on-one, do high pressing across the whole pitch, and maybe that already answers part of the question," Thomas Tuchel said about his opponents ahead of this midweek gameweek 23 clash.
"We have to win challenges not only defensively but offensively. You have to make a point, prove yourself, and you have to step up in quality and be ready no matter what because we will face a brave and very unique, strong opponent. If we want to win, we need to be at the top level."
It goes without saying then that the Blues will be wanting to have a number of their better players available and with that being said, football.london takes a look at the latest injury news from Stamford Bridge ahead of the mid-week showdown.
General team news
Tuchel said on Monday afternoon in his pre-Brighton: "If anyone's back is a good question, we train later. I think we have no re-injuries and no new injuries. This is the good news, but I think nobody [Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Andreas Christensen and Trevoh Chalobah] are coming back for tomorrow."
Kenedy
Despite no apparent injury, the Brazilian made a shock return to Cobham after it was initially understood that he was likely to be sent out on another loan deal.
Chelsea's Emerson Palmieri struggles have presented the ex-Flamengo player a big opportunity to step up and Tuchel, despite not wanting to clarify his intentions with the player in question, has not ruled anything out here.
"We cannot say Kenedy is the solution. He can be a solution. The situation has not changed, we have long-term injuries with the wing-backs," Tuchel assessed in his pre-Brighton press conference.
"We suffered a lot in the midfield from Covid and injuries and now our midfielders are more or less coming back we suffer with our central defenders.
"Nothing has changed but it needs to make sense, it needs to be possible, it needs to make sense on a high level and in quality and personality. We have looked into the market, nothing has changed, we have all options and also the option to say no."
Kenedy trained on Monday meaning a possible appearance in this game is most likely to come from the bench due to the lack of game time the wing-back suffered in Brazil during this most recent loan spell.
Andreas Christensen
Danish defender Andreas Christensen has been in and out of the Chelsea team throughout the season due to a number of issues.
Contractual negotiations, injuries and a positive Covid-19 test have seen him left on the sidelines and he missed the slender defeat to Manchester City.
He also appears likely to be left out against the Seagulls. Depending on when he tested positive for the virus, his self-isolation is either going to end on the day or the day after the clash with Brighton so it seems unlikely that he will be drafted straight back into the side - especially with Malang Sarr having impressed over the past couple of fixtures.
What Thomas Tuchel has said: “We have one new positive Covid test with Andreas Christensen so he will be out of the game.”
Expected return: Tottenham (H) - January 23
Trevoh Chalobah
In the absence of Christensen, youngster Chalobah would certainly have been a valuable player available to the Blues but he is another who is set to be on the sidelines.
The 22-year-old sustained a troublesome hamstring injury against Liverpool and it remains to be seen quite when he will be able to make his return to action.
What Thomas Tuchel has said: "No [new injury] news which is good news. Trevoh [Chalobah] will be out.”
Expected return: N/A
Reece James
Another player who is facing an uncertain period of time in the treatment room is England international Reece James.
The right-back, who had been in electric form for the Blues this season, was injured in the reverse game against the Seagulls at Stamford Bridge.
He is continuing his recovery but is not expected to return to the pitch any time soon.
What Thomas Tuchel has said: “No news which is good news. Trevoh will be out, Reece James out.”
Expected return: N/A
Ben Chilwell
Chelsea are not expected to be able to call upon the services of left-back Ben Chilwell after the serious injury that he sustained against Juventus.
The Blues took a conservative route with their treatment but a major setback saw Chilwell undergo surgery for an ACL injury.
His recovery is expected to keep him out of the side until at least the end of the current season.
What Thomas Tuchel has said: “Chilly of course has had his surgery and he has our best wishes and all of our energy to come back healthy and as soon as possible.
“Unfortunately it seems like the season is over for him.”
Expected return: Summer 2022
