Chelsea went into the international break on a high, beating Middlesbrough in the FA Cup quarter-finals to book their place in the last four. The Blues will face Crystal Palace in mid-April, but face more immediate tests before then.
Thomas Tuchel had a number of players out on international duty and will be hoping that they all return fit and healthy for the run-in. This has already been a challenge in one case, with a player having pulled out from their initial nation's squad early on in this break. There were also a few other injury doubts within the squad before the break and the German coach will be hoping he has a full complement to choose from when they face Brentford at Stamford Bridge. Shortly after that, they have to prepare for a Champions League quarter-final tie with Real Madrid, adding even more layers to the upcoming challenge.
Players will be coming back with mixed feelings. Jorginho will be disappointed after Italy were knocked out of Qatar World Cup qualification against North Macedonia. Meanwhile, the likes of Christian Pulisic and Edouard Mendy will be on cloud nine due to their successes with their countries. With Brentford now on the agenda, and with manager Tuchel set to speak to the media on Friday afternoon, football.london takes a look at the latest injury news ahead of the west London derby on Saturday.
