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Nottingham Post

Sport

Isaac Seelochan & Sam Hill & Amie Wilson

Frank Lampard could be given Chelsea injury boost ahead of Nottingham Forest clash

Chelsea Forest Nottingham Forest Frank Lampard Leicester Leicester City Reece James Southampton Armando Broja Ben Chilwell

Nottingham Forest are back in Premier League action this weekend as they look to extend their gap to the relegation zone as they take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The Reds climbed out of the bottom three on Monday night thanks to a 4-3 win over Southampton at the City Ground. Goals from Taiwo Awoniyi (x2), Morgan Gibbs-White and Danilo earned Steve Cooper's men what could be a crucial three points at the end of the season.

The result came just hours after Leicester City's 5-3 loss against Fulham, which allowed Forest to climb above their relegation rivals in the table. They are now three points clear of the Foxes in 18th place in the table ahead of the weekend's clashes.

Forest travel to Stamford Bridge with Chelsea having ended a run of six straight defeats under Frank Lampard last weekend. The Blues came out as 3-1 winners over Bournemouth in their last outing.

But they were without some players for the game, with another in Ben Chilwell suffering a worrying injury during the clash. With that in mind, here's the latest injury news from the opposition camp, from our colleagues at football.london, with Wesley Fofana the most likely to return vs Forest.

Ben Chilwell

Ben Chilwell was taken off in the 74th minute against Bournemouth after suffering a hamstring injury. The England international suffered a similar issue earlier this season which saw him sidelined for 10 games.

Chilwell is now a doubt to feature again this season as Lampard offered a worrying update.

What Lampard said: "[It's his] Hamstring. We don't know [if it's serious], but with a hamstring at this point of the season, it's a worry for the remaining games."

Wesley Fofana

Former Leicester defender Wesley Fofana was left out of the matchday squad that beat Bournemouth after suffering a hamstring problem. Lampard revealed the Frenchman was left out as a precaution.

What Lampard said: "Fofana had a bit of an issue with his hamstring, yesterday travelling down, so it's more of a precaution on that one. Other than that, we’ve got a squad, so the players who come in have got to show what they can do."

Marc Cucurella

The Spanish defender was ruled out of the game against Brentford late on having not been highlighted before the match as an absentee.

What Lampard said: "Cucurella is injured. He injured himself in training two days ago. He will be out for a few weeks with a quad injury."

Ahead of Arsenal, he added: "Cucurella, probably another two weeks or so. It was a two or three week injury when he first did it a week or so ago."

Injury: Quadricep

Kalidou Koulibaly

Kalidou Koulibaly started in a back three for Chelsea in the first-leg against Real Madrid but, after a lung-busting run to track back and deny Rodrygo a chance, the defender pulled up clutching his hamstring.

What Lampard said: "A hamstring injury, it will be a matter of weeks rather than days," he said at the time. "He's a very good, very experienced player. It's a disappointment for him and for us, but opportunity and we carry on without him. Hopefully, he gets fit as quick as he can."

He has since added: "Yeah, out for a while still. I think it will be a tight call for the season, he's working away. Been impressed with him actually as a professional, he's doing his job very well. Unfortunately the injury is a bit of a tough one."

Injury: Hamstring

Reece James

In the first-half of the Blues' clash against Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge, James was seen feeling his hamstring. The defender appeared to be struggling for a moment or so but he soldiered on and completed 90 minutes, although the latest update from Lampard was not too positive.

What Lampard said: "Reece James is unavailable, probably for the season. Reece had a hamstring he picked up in the Madrid game, he got through the game but we scanned it the following day."

Injury: Hamstring

Mason Mount

Mount has suffered with plenty of injuries this season, with an ongoing pelvic issue plaguing him this season. Another setback means that the club's two-time player of the season is set to miss out on another appearance while speculation grows over his future.

Mount posted an update on Instagram, saying: "Had a minor procedure yesterday to sort out a discomfort I had for a while. Everything went well and I’m feeling good.

"Time to rest but can’t wait to get back to training in the coming weeks! Thanks for all your messages of support and a massive thank you to the medical team, doctors and nurses for looking after me."

What Lampard said: "Mason has been carrying this pelvic injury for quite a while, it pre-dates myself. We've been trying and the medical staff have been trying but we've got to the stage now where he'll have a minor surgery. Probably a four-week recovery and we know where that gets us to."

Injury: Pelvis

Armando Broja

Chelsea have been without Broja for a while now after the striker suffered a knee injury in a mid-season friendly against Aston Villa. The 20-year-old screamed in pain following a collision with Ezri Konsa and he was subsequently stretchered off the field of play.

He looked to be in considerable pain and was seen to be clutching his leg as he was tended to by medical staff. The Albania international had no history of knee injuries and his injury was a major blow.

Broja has been expected to be out for at least the remainder of the season after learning that he needed surgery to fix a ruptured cruciate ligament in his right knee, football.london reported at the time. However, he's recently been pictured back in individual training at Cobham, albeit mostly gym work.

Injury: Knee