Chelsea have issued an injury update ahead of their meeting with Tottenham Hotspur, revealing up to 14 players could miss Thursday’s Premier League clash – Levi Colwill, Christopher Nkunku, Reece James, Robert Sanchez, Raheem Sterling, Lesley Ugochukwu, Axel Disasi, Thiago Silva, Carney Chukwuemeka, Enzo Fernandez, Ben Chilwell, Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia.
Mauricio Pochettino has endured an injury crisis all season, but Chelsea confirmed that Colwill, Nkunku, James, Sanchez, Sterling and Ugochukwu are nearing a return. The aforementioned have returned to full training or partial sessions with the first-team, so they could feature before the campaign comes to a close.
What’s the latest on James, Colwill and Nkunku?
Tom Coley of Football.London says James is close to featuring for Chelsea after a hamstring injury. Pochettino has said the 24-year-old could return soon after doing partial training with the squad for two days.
James has made nine appearances in all competitions this season, amassing just 451 minutes of playing time. He’s hardly featured in 2023/24, so Pochettino will be delighted to have him back.
As for Colwill, Pochettino said the centre-back is very ‘close’ to playing. Like James, Colwill also did some partial training for a couple of days, so he’s nearing a return after his toe injury.
The 21-year-old had been a regular at centre-back before the injury, making 32 appearances across the board, so he’s a play Pochettino will have wanted back. Chelsea are lacking depth in defence due to the injury crisis.
Nkunku is being assessed day by day with a view to returning this month, but it remains to be seen if it’s against Tottenham. The 26-year-old had a hamstring injury between March and May, plus the four-month absence between August and December due to a knee problem, so he’ll hope to end the season strongly.
Which players are definitely out?
Pochettino says Disasi and Silva won’t be fit to face Tottenham. Chukwuemeka, Fernandez, Chilwell, Gusto, Fofana and Lavia are likely to miss out too as they’re still completing their rehabilitation.
Chelsea’s squad is very threadbare right now, so a lot of lesser-known youngsters are making up the bench – Cesare Casadei, Alfie Gilchrist, Deivid Washington, Ted Curd, Josh Acheampong, Tyrique George, Kiano Dyer.
Sanchez is training with the first-team but doesn’t appear close to featuring yet, so he might be another player left out for another week or two.
