As we rapidly shift from one cup competition to another, the Chelsea FC absentee list remains very lengthy. Thus we’ll just dive straight in to it, starting with Christopher Nkunku. His competitive Chelsea debut was a very long time coming (due to a knee injury suffered in the preseason), and sure enough, Nkunku got injured again soon afterward.
Now Nkunku has a hip issue, which makes him a doubt for this clash against a Championship side.
EFL Cup Semifinal Leg 1/2 FYIs
Chelsea FC at Middlesbrough
Kick: Tue Jan. 9, 2024, 8pm, Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, UK
Chelsea Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Book on the Premier League authored by The Sports Bank Founder Paul M. Banks: go here
Fun Fact: In the Todd Boehly / Clearlake Capital era, Chelsea have spent well over £1bn on new players
Moving on to his Injured in the Preseason So We Didn’t See His Chelsea Debut Until the Festive Period twin Romeo Lavia, the midfielder now has a thigh complaint, which will keep him out of action for the time being. Lavia didn’t play at all this season, up until the recent match against Crystal Palace, due to an ankle injury. Such hard luck for the former Southampton and Manchester City young man.
Ben Chilwell is back in full training, having recovered from a hamstring injury, and he could see some minutes off the bench in this one. The same goes for Carney Chukwuemeka, just sub hamstring injury for knee injury. Meanwhile Benoit Badiashile is a doubt here due to an unspecified and undisclosed issue.
Elsewhere Nicolas Jackson is away with Senegal, in defense of their Africa Cup of Nations title.
And with that in mind we move on to the players who will be, and have been, out for the longer-term. No. 1 goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is out for another month with a knee injury. There is no definitive timeline of return for the following players:
team captain Reece James (hamstring), Spanish left back Marc Cucurella (ankle), the seldom-used Trevoh Chalobah (thigh), the not often-used Lesley Ugochukwu (hamstring) and big money signing Wesley Fofana (knee).
We told you the list is very long!
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager 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’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.