- Chelsea without three key players vs Liverpool
- Neto and Garnacho fail to recover from knocks
- Robert Sanchez out of Anfield trip
Chelsea have suffered a double injury blow ahead of the Liverpool trip this weekend.
Calum McFarlane has a fresh headache ahead of the trip to Anfield as the Blues look to avoid a seven-match losing streak in the Premier League. They have not won any match in the top flight since beating Aston Villa 4-1 at Villa Park in early March.
Things went from bad to worse for the FIFA Club World Cup champions this week, after they were beaten 3-1 by Nottingham Forest at home. The City Ground side were heavily rotated for the match as they were focused on the UEFA Europa League semifinal vs Aston Villa this week.
Chelsea suffer injury blow ahead of Liverpool clash
Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho were ruled out of the Nottingham Forest clash on Monday, after picking up knocks in training. The duo were expected to be fit for the Liverpool trip, but McFarlane has confirmed that they are not available.
“Neto and Garnacho are carrying knocks, so it’s looking unlikely that they’re going to be available.”
Chelsea have one more training session ahead of their trip, and the duo are unlikely to be training. With the duo out, Jesse Derry got his first start for the Blues this week, but he suffered a head injury and was stretchered off at Stamford Bridge.
The teenager has now been ruled out for the season by McFarlane, but he admitted that he was in better shape since being taken to the hospital.
“I spoke to Jesse’s dad the night it happened and the family yesterday. It’s positive. I don’t have the insights to go into massive details but the early signs are positive. As long as he’s healthy, that’s all that really matters. He’s not going to be available between now and the end of the season.”
The Blues are also set to be without Robert Sanchez, after the goalkeeper suffefred suffered a head injury in the Nottingham Forest loss. McFarlane confirmed that the Spaniard is out and said:
“Rob is also not going to be available after the injury that he sustained.”
Chelsea are already without Estevao Willian, who scored the winner in the 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge, and Jamie Gittens.
Chelsea have some positive news ahead of Liverpool clash
While a host of players have been ruled out, Levi Colwill and Reece James have trained with the first team this week. The centre-back played his first minutes of the season against Nottingham Forest in the second half, while the right-back was an unused substitute.
McFarlane has said that the duo are fit for the Liverpool trip. He heaped praise on Arne Slot’s side ahead of the visit and said:
“They’re a really good side, a lot of good players, there’s a lot of threats that we have to be aware of. We also have a lot of good players and we’re just focussing on ourselves at the moment and making sure that our performance levels are at a higher level than what they have been.”
Liverpool can all but seal their place in the UEFA Champions League next season with a win over Chelsea.
