Fresh from suffering another dose of Wembley heartache, Chelsea face a tough Premier League examination against London rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday evening.
The Blues were the better team for large parts of their FA Cup semi-final with Manchester City, but they failed to put away their chances and ultimately fell to a 1-0 defeat at Wembley courtesy of Bernardo Silva's late goal.
All focus is now on the fight for European football for Mauricio Pochettino's side, who destroyed Everton 6-0 in their last top-flight fixture and lie ninth in the table, within touching distance of Manchester United, Newcastle United and West Ham United.
Here, Sports Mole rounds up Chelsea's latest injury and suspension news ahead of the showdown with Arsenal, who overcame Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 on Saturday night.
© Reuters
Status: Out
Type of injury: Illness
Possible return date: Unknown
Robert Sanchez was again absent from the ranks to face Man City due to an illness, and while he has resumed parts of team training, he should not be given the green light to make the trip to North London.
© Reuters
Status: Out
Type of injury: Toe
Possible return date: Unknown
Levi Colwill has been dealing with a troublesome toe problem for several weeks and was not ready to make his comeback at Wembley, which should also be the case here despite his return to light practice.
© Reuters
Status: Out
Type of injury: Hamstring
Possible return date: May 2 (vs. Tottenham Hotspur)
Christopher Nkunku is also being put through his paces gradually in training as he enters the final stages of his rehabilitation from a hamstring concern, which might clear up in time for him to return in early May.
© Reuters
Status: Out
Type of injury: Knee
Possible return date: Unknown
The hapless Wesley Fofana remains glued to the treatment table due to his serious knee injury, and Pochettino has conceded that he does not envisage the Frenchman returning before the end of the season.
© Reuters
Status: Out
Type of injury: Hamstring
Possible return date: Unknown
Similarly, captain Reece James is on the recovery trail from hamstring surgery, and no timeframe has been placed on his recovery, so he could very well miss the remainder of the campaign too.
© Reuters
Status: Out
Type of injury: Hamstring
Possible return date: Unknown
Lesley Ugochukwu, who is yet to appear in 2024 due to a hamstring injury, is still a few weeks away from a potential return to first-team training, so he will likely be missing until next season too.
© Reuters
Status: Out
Type of injury: Thigh
Possible return date: Unknown
Romeo Lavia's debut season at Chelsea will end with just one appearance to his name, as the Belgian is nursing a severe thigh problem and has already been ruled out until the 2024-25 season.
© Reuters
Status: Major doubt
Type of injury: Illness
Possible return date: April 23 (vs. Arsenal)
On Monday, Chelsea fans were told the worrying news that top scorer Cole Palmer had come down with an illness, and Pochettino has conceded that he is unlikely to make the squad for the derby.
© Reuters
Status: Out
Type of injury: Knee
Possible return date: Unknown
Malo Gusto needed medical attention at Wembley over the weekend, and the right-back is now revealed to be suffering from a knee ligament issue, which is expected to keep him out of this game.
© Reuters
Status: Out
Type of injury: Knee
Possible return date: Unknown
Similarly, Ben Chilwell has been suffering from a recurrence of the knee injury he picked up on England duty, and there is no timeframe on his return to action.
CHELSEA'S SUSPENSION LIST
Chelsea have no players suspended for this match.
Ben Knapton
