Thomas Tuchel will be without a minimum of four players - two of them new injury concerns - for the fixture on the South Coast in the Premier League this weekend against Southampton.
The Blues are looking to end a two-game losing streak with a convincing win against Ralph Hasenhuttl's Saints. Shock defeats at the hands of Brentford and Real Madrid who combined, hit seven past a usually resilient defensive unit, have left Chelsea's season in jeopardy and a loss in this fixture could mean top four could be put into question if rivals behind them capitalise this weekend.
"Absolutely confident, but never as a given. I never thought of this as a given because this is the most demanding league in the world," Tuchel said in his pre-match press conference on Friday. "We know where we come from. We know how we struggled through the season and what can make us struggle. I feel in the team that there is nothing bad. We can play on a very high level if we reach our top level. We do this very consecutive and repetitive, very often. Very good. This is our job, what we push for.
"If we don't reach it we can lose to any teams of any quality. Unfortunately, we proved it within five days. This is us. It's nothing bad, just a reminder that this is us. We should not feel ashamed and feel bad to fight for place number three. There is no disappointment. At the moment we are number three, it is a tough competition until the very last day. Do I feel confident? Yes. I have trust from the players, from the Club. I trust in myself, in my work and in my staff. Do we feel that this is a given? No, absolutely not. It never felt like this."
To respond in the right fashion, Tuchel will be relying on key players to be fit and available for the game but football.london understands there will be at least four absentees for this game which will be kick-off at St Mary's at 3pm on Saturday.
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Romelu Lukaku
The striker featured from the bench in midweek but spurned two great chances to get Chelsea right back into the tie heading into the Santiago Bernabeu leg next week. Unfortunately, it seems the Belgian will not be in the squad for this due to a problem picked up during his short outing on the pitch midweek.
What Tuchel said: "And we are a bit in doubt with Romelu. Hakim Ziyech."
Expected return date: Real Madrid (A) Tuesday, April 12
Hakim Ziyech
Just like Lukaku, the Moroccan must have picked up a little niggle in his cameo appearance he made from the bench midweek against Los Blancos. As a result, the duo are set to miss out on the weekend's trip, with the aim of being back in the squad at least for the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final tie next Tuesday.
What Tuchel said: "We need to see. They were not in training due to little problems. But we hope to have them in training. We need test and confirmation from training at three o'clock to see if they are available for tomorrow."
Perhaps there is a little chance both make it but with a big game in midweek, Tuchel will most likely take the safe route to ensure he has his full compliment for the trip to Madrid next week.
Expected return date: Real Madrid (A) Tuesday, April 12
Ben Chilwell
Chilwell suffered a cruciate ligament injury in his knee that is set to keep the wing-back out for the rest of the season. The 25-year-old performed well in the early stages of the season but won't make a return until the summer. Alongside Callum Hudson-Odoi, the left-back was the only other absentee from the clash with Real Madrid on Wednesday.
Expected return: Summer 2022
Callum Hudson-Odoi
Hudson-Odoi managed just one appearance in February as he struggled with a troublesome Achilles issue. No risks have been taken with the academy graduate - hardly a surprise as a ruptured Achilles tendon derailed his rapid development in 2019. He wasn’t involved in the match at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday and his return is currently unknown.
What Tuchel said: " Callum Hudson-Odoi is still out.
"It doesn't look so good at the moment. It's not a matter of days at the moment, I think, it's a matter of weeks. It's a setback. He started in the Club World Cup final – we were just talking about it – he started in the World Club Cup final, and he had an assist in the final. He was crucial on the left side, sometimes as a wing-back but most of the time as a winger. It was one of the seasons that he has had the most game time I would say – he was growing into it. Suddenly it's stopped his season. It's not his fault, but it's an upset."
Expected return: unknown
