The Chelsea injury list is relatively short, by their standards, as of late, as the trip to AFC Bournemouth looms. We only have five names to cover today: Filip Jorgensen, Romeo Lavia, Malo Gusto, Reece James and Cole Palmer. So let’s just dive right in, as we preview the league fixture with the Cherries on Saturday, starting with Jorgensen.
The summer signing suffered an unspecified injury while on international duty.
Chelsea FC at AFC Bournemouth FYIs
Chelsea Preview Material: Starting XI Prediction Team News Injury Report
Kick-off: 8 pm (BST), Saturday Sept 14, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, UK
Result Probability: Chelsea 47% Draw 24% AFC Bournemouth 29%
PL Form, Standing: Chelsea LWD 11th 4 pts AFC Bournemouth 8th 5 pts DDW
Denmark’s U21 coach, Steffen Hojer, expressed some concern, following the clash with the Czech Republic, about the injury to Jorgensen: “I don’t really know. He’s being checked. I don’t know how bad it went, but it was certainly [bad] enough for him to go off.”
We’ll see what happens, as we might learn more on Friday. The situations are more clear when it comes to Romeo Lavia (hamstring) and Cole Palmer (ongoing muscle fatigue/minutes management). Lavia is understood to not be seriously hurt, and should be available here.
Palmer was left out the Conference League squad, for the cause of having his playing time managed and not getting overcooked. He’ll be prioritized in the league competition, so he’ll feature here. James (hamstring) remains out, nothing new there. Finally, Malo Gusto suffered a thigh injury in the last match before the break, and he’ll miss out here.
Prediction: Chelsea FC 2, Bournemouth 0
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.