Chelsea secured their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League in midweek with a game to spare following their 2-1 defeat of RB Salzburg on Tuesday.
But the Blues remained without four of their first team players for that clash in Austria, three of which are defenders, and now manager Graham Potter will be hoping to see no further casualties added to that list ahead of his return to Brighton this weekend.
Here is all you need to know about the current state of play at Stamford Bridge and the expected return dates for those out on the sidelines.
Mateo Kovacic
Blues midfielder Mateo Kovacic is the latest name to pick up an injury after the Croatian was withdrawn against Salzburg on Tuesday.
Kovacic had returned to the starting lineup after being benched for the last two fixtures but was substituted after 68 minutes having felt some tightness in his calf. Speaking on Tuesday, Potter said: "Mateo felt his calf a little bit. It was a heavy pitch, and we didn’t want to risk anything. He has a bit of tightness, and hopefully, it is not too bad."
However, Potter hopes he will be okay to feature this weekend has since revealed that "fatigue" has played its part more than anything. Speaking on Friday, he said: "Mateo's calf (is) more fatigue".
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Kalidou Koulibaly
Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly has had a mixed start to life in west London since his big money move from Napoli in the summer and is set to miss out on another game for the Blues as he struggles with a knee injury.
The 31-year-old played the full 90 minutes of last week’s 0-0 draw with Brentford but has since missed Chelsea’s last two fixtures. Speaking on Monday, Potter said: “It’s not too serious. This game was too soon for him. We’re hoping to get him on the grass Wednesday or Thursday, but he’s obviously not available for tomorrow night.”
Koulibaly has returned to training this week, however, although he will play no part against Brighton on Saturday as he continues his recovery. Speaking on Friday, Potter said: "Koulibaly is an outside chance for Wednesday."
Reece James
Reece James is also sidelined with a knee injury and is continuing his recovery as he aims to work his way back to full fitness in time for the World Cup next month.
The England international suffered the injury during the 2-0 victory over AC Milan on October 11, with the right back missing Chelsea’s last four fixtures as a result, and will not feature again for the Blues until December.
Speaking on October 21, Potter said: "He'll be in a brace for four weeks to stabilise the knee, then it’s rehab that will take eight weeks, we think."
Wesley Fofana
Wesley Fofana is the third Chelsea defender who is sidelined with injury and, like James, is also expected to remain out until after the World Cup as he continues his recovery from a knee issue which he picked up in the 3-0 victory over AC Milan on October 5.
The centre back was forced off before the end of the first half during that game and has since missed Chelsea’s last six fixtures. Although Potter initially believed there may be an outside chance that Fofana could return before the World Cup, the chances of that happening are now highly unlikely.
Speaking on October 14, Potter said: “He’s progressing where he was. I don’t think we will see him before the World Cup in terms of playing for Chelsea.”
N’Golo Kante
Blues midfielder N’Golo Kante will not feature again until 2023 after it was revealed that he will be sidelined for another four months after undergoing successful surgery on his hamstring injury.
The Frenchman returned to first team training at the start of October following his lengthy lay-off from the initial injury he sustained back in August, but picked up a fresh problem earlier this month and has been forced out of action until at least February.
On October 18, an official club statement read: “N’Golo Kante has undergone an operation on his hamstring injury. Following a successful operation, N’Golo is now expected to be sidelined for four months.”
