Chelsea, like most of the Premier League clubs who are in the Champions League competition this season, cruised through the UCL League Phase. With the exception of Newcastle United, every English team in the competition qualified for the knockouts. And that is certainly advantageous, as it gives the Blues more time to rest and get healthy for the next round of Premier League competition this weekend. Up next is a visit from Burnley, and it’s possible that Chelsea could see two players come off the injured list, and thus back into the healthy/fit rotation for this one- Marc Cucurella and Romeo Lavia.
Cucurella is a doubt, as he recovers from a hamstring injury. He is more likely to return against Arsenal on March 1.
Chelsea vs Burnley FYIs
Kickoff time: 3 PM GMT, Saturday February 21, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Premier League Standing: Chelsea 5th 44 pts Burnley 19th, 18 pts
Chelsea’s FA Cup Draw: go here
Google Result Probability: Chelsea Win 80% Draw 13% Burnley Win 7%
Form Guide: Chelsea WWWWD Burnley DDLLW
Chelsea Team News
“At the moment he’s not fit,” Blues boss Liam Rosenior said after the FA Cup win over Hull City. “There is an issue with his hamstring. I don’t know — I can’t give you a time frame on that at the moment.”
As for Lavia (out since November with a thigh injury), he has returned to training, outdoors with the rest of the group. So he’s getting there.
“It’s been great to see him,” Rosenior said right before the draw with Leeds United.
“He’s been such a great player. We all know that. But what we have to do is make sure that when he’s back, he’s back for good. So we’re just making sure that he gets the right plan over the next ten days to two weeks to achieve that.”
Hard to say for certain, but those statements make it sound like Lavia won’t be back this weekend, after all. Maybe the next match is much more likely for his comeback as well. And then finally, Cole Palmer missed out against Hull entirely, but that’s only because his minutes are being specifically managed. Palmer wasn’t going to be risked against lower tier competition.
Otherwise, the Chelsea injury situation remains the same- Dario Essugo, Jamie Gittens, Levi Colwill and Filip Jorgensen remain sidelined.
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, RG.org and Ratings.org. 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 and the Washington Post.