Chelsea could be without two more key players for their match against Manchester City next month, following injury setbacks to Trevoh Chalobah and Reece James.
Arsenal have built up a decent lead over Premier League title rivals Manchester City, but the Gunners know that a win for their rivals in their game in hand and in the match between the two clubs at the Etihad Stadium would cut that gap significantly.
A nine-point lead could easily become three, so any further dropped points by City would be very welcome. With that in mind, one of City’s trickiest remaining league fixtures is their next one – a trip away to Chelsea on April 12th.
Unfortunately for Chelsea, they may be without some key players for that match, with Trevoh Chalobah and Reece James both suffering injury setbacks.
James was the first to get injured, suffering a hamstring injury that could keep him out for several weeks, according to Simon Johnson and Mario Cortegana of The Athletic. With the City game less than four weeks away, that certainly makes the Chelsea captain a doubt.
Then Chalobah picked up a problem against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, as his ankle was twisted under a challenge and he was forced to leave the pitch on a stretcher.
The defender admitted on social media that his “ankle should be broken”, but Liam Rosenior was hopeful scans will confirm it’s just a sprain. Even if that’s the case, a high-ankle sprain would likely mean at least 4-6 weeks out.
“I think he was really worried,” Rosenior said of Chalobah. “I’ve just checked with the medical team. We’ll obviously scan and assess him tomorrow. We are hoping and praying that it’s not as bad as we first feared.
“He’s got a high ankle sprain, so I’m praying it’s nothing too serious because we can’t lose another defender.”
As for James, there was no confirmation on the length of his absence at the time of Rosenior’s press conference.
“I’m waiting for the full results of his scan,” Rosenior admitted. “Hopefully he is back sooner rather than later.”