Wolverhampton Wanderers wing-back Nelson Semedo has confirmed he will miss this weekend's clash against Chelsea and the remainder of the season due to injury. The Portugal international had only just returned from a hamstring issue that had kept him out for five Premier League matches.
Semedo, who joined Wolves from Barcelona in the summer of 2020 for around £27.5million, has been a regular under Bruno Lage this term. The 28-year-old has made 29 appearances across all competitions but was an unused substitute in the 0-0 draw against Chelsea at Molineux back in December.
After overcoming his hamstring injury, the defender featured in Wolves' previous two matches – against Burnley and Brighton and Hove Albion but has confirmed on Instagram he will not be available for the remainder of the campaign. Semedo wrote: "Unfortunately, I won't be able to play this season anymore. I just have to support the team in the games that remain and focus on recovery. See you next season."
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Semedo is the second Wolves player to have suffered a season-ending injury in the past week. It was confirmed last Thursday that Max Kilman, who has been watched by Chelsea this season and whose brother is in the Blues' academy, will be absent for their remaining fixtures.
"Max twisted his ankle, and it will be hard for him to return,' said Lage. 'He will recover, but there is less than a month until the end of the season. We need to understand what the problem is and the doctors are doing a fantastic job."
Wolves will travel to Stamford Bridge, having won just three of their previous ten Premier League fixtures. It's a run that has seen Lage's side drop to eighth in the table, although they still have the opportunity to finish in seventh and secure a place in the UEFA Conference League.
Chelsea, meanwhile, requires six points from their remaining four top-flight fixtures to seal a place in the top four. And a reaction to last weekend's disappointing defeat to Everton will be expected against Wolves. Chelsea have a couple of high-profile injury concerns.
N'Golo Kante didn't feature against Everton last weekend, having picked up a minor problem in the draw with Manchester United, while Jorginho was forced off midway through the defeat at Goodison Park. Ben Chilwell, meanwhile, isn't expected back until the start of next season as he recovers from an ACL injury.
Callum Hudson-Odoi has seemingly handed Chelsea a boost as he posted a picture of himself in training on Wednesday. Since the beginning of February, the winger has featured just three times as he has been struggling with achilles and back injuries.
