Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has confirmed neither Fikayo Tomori nor Mateo Kovacic will be fit enough to feature in Saturday's meeting with Watford.
The Blues slipped to a humiliating 3-2 defeat at the hands of West Ham last time out, leaving them just two points ahead of Manchester United in the race for fourth place, so Lampard is expected to make a few changes to his team when they face the Hornets.
Defending proved to be a real problem for Chelsea, with Antonio Rüdiger and Andreas Christensen both failing to cover themselves in glory, but Lampard confirmed (via The Sun) that Tomori is not ready to step in and replace either.
"Fikayo's still not going to be fit," he said. "He's still doing a lot of work, it's just getting him on the training pitch is going to be tough."
Tomori hasn't made the bench since football's return as a result of a muscular injury, and he will be joined on the sidelines by Kovacic, who picked up a minor Achilles injury during the loss to West Ham.
Nizaar Kinsella notes that Kovacic is expected to miss at least one more game, which will come against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Tuesday.
If Lampard wants to shake things up, he will obviously have fewer options to choose between. At the back, Kurt Zouma is ready to step in if needed, while right-back César Azpilicueta could be shifted inside and replaced by Reece James on the right.
As for Kovacic, he was replaced by Mason Mount shortly after half-time against West Ham, but Lampard is not short of other options in midfield. Jorginho, Billy Gilmour and Ruben Loftus-Cheek could all be promoted to the starting lineup, with Ross Barkley and N'Golo Kanté looking to retain their places.
As a result of their late kick-off on Saturday, Chelsea could enter the game in sixth place if both United and Wolves win beforehand, which would only ramp up the pressure on an already crucial affair.
A fourth-placed finish is still in Chelsea's hands, so victory over Watford would ensure they remain in the top four, and a poor result for Leicester against Palace could see Lampard's men move up to third.
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Source : 90min