When Chelsea head to Brentford on Wednesday night, for a EFL Cup quarterfinal London derby, they’ll remain short-handed, due to a recent covid-19 outbreak. Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Jorginho, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jorginho remain unavailable due to having tested positive for covid.
Blues boss Thomas Tuchel told the media, following the goalless draw with Wolves yesterday, his club lobbied to have that Premier League fixture postponed. Tuchel said the Premier League is “playing a dangerous game” by pushing ahead with staging competitions as normal, despite the current surge in the omicron variant.
Chelsea at Brentford (EFL Cup) FYIs
Kickoff: Wed Dec 22, 7:45 pm, Brentford Community Stadium
Chelsea Starting XI Prediction: go here
Brentford form guide (Premier League): WDLWD
Chelsea form guide (all competitions): DDWDL
“We talk a lot about safety and protecting the players, but I’m not so sure we did this today,” Tuchel said to Sky Sports yesterday.
“If we have tomorrow and the next test, the next positive, I would like to speak to the Premier League about what they expect.
“We were made to be in the bus and travel together for three hours, we were in meetings together, in dinner and lunch and the situation does not feel like it will stop if we keep on doing this.”
Chelsea’s covid crisis is not expected to be alleviated between now and kick-off at Brentford. Tuchel fears it could actually even worsen by that point.
“If they make us play against Brentford, shall we not arrive or not train? What should we do?” Tuchel added.
Beyond the Chelsea covid crew, Trevoh Chalobah and both Hakim Ziyech are both injury doubts here while Ben Chilwell remains a long term injury absentee.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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