English forward Raheem Sterling joins the list of Chelsea walking wounded, due to having suffered an injury in his lower back. He is a strong doubt for the London derby with Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday night.
The Chelsea injury list is currently very long, just as it has been all season long. Striker Christopher Nkunku is battling a thigh injury.
London Derby FYIs
Tottenham Hotspur at Chelsea FC
Kickoff: Thurs. May 2, 7:30 pm, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Team News: Tottenham Hotspur Chelsea Part 1 Chelsea Part 2
Starting XI Predictions: Tottenham Hotspur Chelsea
Win Probability: Draw 24% Tottenham Hotspur 32% Chelsea 44%
Blues Team News
Said Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino of the Frenchman:
“It is about assessing him day by day, and in the last few days, he has [been] involved in some part of the training sessions. Now, we need to see the reaction of his body.”
Pochettino said the following regarding team captain Reece James: “No, [he is] not available yet. Yesterday, [he was] doing some training with the squad. [He is] close.”
So we won’t see the English right back in midweek, but perhaps next week he’ll be back. Elsewhere Pochettino provided the following updates on Ugochukwu:
“Lesley is doing his recovery. We will see in a few weeks if he can be part of the training sessions with the first team. But it is day by day that we are assessing these guys.”
and on Levi Colwill (toe):
“No, [he is] not available yet. Yesterday, [he was] doing partial training with the squad. [He is] close.”
Finally, Malo Gusto and Ben Chilwell (both of whom have knee injuries) remain out indefinitely.
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 Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.