Chelsea head into their Premier League encounter with Southampton on Sunday afternoon having put together a three-match winning streak in all competitions.
After beating Grimsby Town and Brighton & Hove Albion on the domestic front, Chelsea recorded a hard-fought 2-1 triumph over Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
However, manager Frank Lampard continues to deal with a number of selection dilemmas, involving players dealing with injuries and who have recently made their first-team returns.
Here, Sports Mole rounds up the latest injury and suspension list for Chelsea ahead of squaring off against the Saints.
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Status: Out
Type of injury: Thigh
Possible return date: October 19 (vs. Newcastle United)
Lampard has previously revealed that Palmieri will not make his return until after the international break, having sustained a recurrence of a thigh problem during September.
© Reuters
Status: Major doubt
Type of injury: Groin
Possible return date: Unknown
While Lampard is yet to disclose a potential return date for Rudiger, who is currently suffering with a groin injury, the Germany international is highly unlikely to be risked in the final game before the international break.
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Status: Out
Type of injury: Achilles
Possible return date: Unknown
Loftus-Cheek has recently handed Chelsea a boost by stepping up his recovery from an Achilles injury. However, the academy graduate is still some weeks away from being in contention for a place in the first-team squad.
CHELSEA'S SUSPENSION LIST
Chelsea have no players who are suspended for the trip to the south coast.
Darren Plant
