Chelsea injury update ahead of London derby against Fulham

Chelsea have 11 injured first-team players

Chelsea’s matchup with London rivals Fulham this weekend at Stamford Bridge will require them to forget their first-leg loss to Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup semifinal.

The Blues’ shocking 1-0 loss to the Championship team at Riverside Stadium means they will need to perform at their highest level in the second leg to guarantee a seat in the Wembley Stadium championship.

In the midweek match, Mauricio Pochettino was missing several important players, and the injury list doesn’t appear to be improving. The issues in the treatment room at Cobham have dogged Chelsea’s development lately with players such as Christopher Nkunku, Reece James and Ben Chilwell all missing major chunks of the season.

Nkunku, who only recently made his comeback last month, will likely miss more time playing due to his current hip setback. Robert Sanchez, Lesley Ugochukwu, and Romeo Lavia, three more summer hires, are likewise not available.

This season, James’ regrettable history of ailments has continued. The right-back’s comeback from a hamstring injury sustained in the team’s opening-day tie with Liverpool was short-lived as he later had another hamstring issue in December.

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Since September, Chilwell was forced out due to a hamstring injury. The England player is happy to be back to full squad training, but it won’t be a hasty return to action.

Similar to Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka is very close to making his eagerly anticipated comeback after sustaining a knee injury in August’s 3-1 loss to West Ham. Marc Cucurella (ankle) and Trevoh Chalobah (thigh), whose apparent recovery time is still unclear, cannot be said to be in the same boat.

Benoit Badiashile, who missed the victory over Preston, is probably going to be judged well enough to be in the lineup this coming Saturday. Due to injuries, the French defender hasn’t been able to establish himself in Pochettino’s defence this year.

Lastly, Wesley Fofana will miss the majority of his rookie campaign due to an ACL injury he suffered during the training camp.

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