Chelsea could be without as many as six first-team players for their Premier League clash against West Ham United on Saturday.
The Blues go into their lunchtime trip to the London Stadium in a poor run of form, having won just once from their seven matches in all competitions in 2023, two fewer wins than West Ham have managed.
And Graham Potter's side could well be without as many as six first-team players for the match through injury.
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World Cup winning French midfielder N’Golo Kante is set to miss out with a long-term hamstring issue that has kept him out of action since mid-August. Kante is back in training but is still thought to be some way off a return to full fitness.
Kante’s French compatriot Wesley Fofana, who joined the Blues at the start of the season from Leicester City, has not played since scoring in the Champions League against AC Milan at the start of October. The centre-back has missed four months of action with a knee injury, but has a chance of returning for the trip to east London.
Midfielder Denis Zakaria has been injured since last month’s 2-1 defeat at Fulham with a thigh issue. While he has been pictured recovering, the game may come too soon for him.
American winger Christian Pulisic suffered a knee injury in last month’s Premier League defeat to Manchester City, making him almost certain not to feature. March remains a more likely return date for him.
Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy was not in the squad that drew 0-0 with Fulham five days ago, having undergone surgery on a fractured finger injury, making him a doubt for the trip to the London Stadium.
Striker Armando Broja will also miss out after suffering a knee injury during a mid-season friendly in December and is not expected to return until the summer at the very earliest.
One player who is due to return to the squad is Portuguese international forward Joao Felix. Felix has been suspended for the last three matches, having been sent off during his debut against Fulham last month.
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