Nkunku, Mudryk, Fernandez – Chelsea injury news and return dates ahead of Tottenham Showdown

Chelsea was able to bounce back from the defeat to Brentford securing a spot in the Carabao Cup quarter-final with a victory over Championship side Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday at Stamford Bridge.

Mauricio Pochettino, facing injury issues, made strategic changes to his starting lineup, welcoming Reece James, Enzo Fernandez, and Benoit Badiashile back after their recovery.

While this trio provided a significant boost for Pochettino, the absence of Mykhailo Mudryk was felt. The Ukrainian player has missed the last two games, although Pochettino remains hopeful about his availability against Spurs.

Chelsea’s record against London teams has been shaky, losing three out of four league games, a trend Pochettino aims to reverse as they face his former club.

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Infoexpert24 has compiled all the injury updates for Chelsea ahead of their crucial Premier League encounter with Tottenham.

Mykhailo Mudryk

Mudryk was also absent from the matchday squad to face Brentford at the weekend. The 22-year-old winger is currently nursing a minor knock and Pochettino will be desperate to reintegrate him into the starting lineup to play Tottenham on Monday. However, that hope suffered a slight setback with the Ukraine international not in the matchday squad against Blackburn.

What Pochettino said: “Mudryk, maybe [available to face Blackburn].”
Possible return date: Tottenham (A) Monday, November 6

Christopher Nkunku

Nkunku is still yet to play a competitive game for Chelsea following his transfer from RB Leipzig in the summer. The 25-year-old was dealt a major blow to his knee during a pre-season friendly against Borussia Dortmund.

He has taken his recovery programme to the next level – for the very first time since the summer, Nkunku was spotted outside on the training pitches at Cobham in his Chelsea gear. Now, Pochettino has hinted that the France international could return to action after the November international break.

What Pochettino said: “Nkunku, no [not available to face Blackburn].”

Possible return date: Newcastle United (A) – Saturday, November 25

Enzo Fernandez

Fernandez was omitted from the matchday squad to face Brentford at the weekend. The 22-year-old midfielder was a huge miss for Chelsea and looks set to return to the starting lineup on Wednesday evening after he was spotted in first-team training on Tuesday. Fernandez started the clash with Blackburn and lasted 87 minutes before being replaced by Alex Matos.

What Pochettino said: “Both Enzo and Misha felt something in training yesterday, small muscle injuries for them both. We hoped they would be okay to be in the squad but unfortunately they aren’t quite ready. Neither of them are big issues but we didn’t want to take any risks.”

Possible return date: Returned

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Armando Broja

Broja was omitted from the matchday squad to face Arsenal last weekend. He is currently being assessed for an irritation on his knee and it’s unclear when he will return,.

What Pochettino said: “Broja wasn’t available and to decide to play with Nico after the surgery on his wrist, it was to find a different way to play in our principles but I think to change the strategy to attack.”

Possible return date: Tottenham (A) Monday, November 6

Ben Chilwell

Chilwell suffered a knock towards the end of Chelsea’s clash with Brighton in the Carabao Cup at the end of September. Unfortunately for the Blues defender, the club quickly realised that the muscle issue was worse than first thought and, a month later, he’s still out of action.

What Pochettino said: “I can not tell you [when he will be back]. It is difficult to know. He is away from the training ground now and we will wait for him to come back to see the situation. Hopefully, he can recover as soon as possible.”

Reece James

After two cameo appearances from the bench, Reece James made his first start in over two months against Blackburn in the Carabao Cup. The Blues captain made it to 61 minutes before being replaced by Malo Gusto.

What Pochettino said: “The plan was to check at half-time how he feels. After 15 minutes he started to feel tired and the second half he was a little bit tired and we need to be careful how we manage him. In that moment we made a change. It’s important now, the progression to be careful and not to go back. We cannot avoid 100% risk but the plan is to go little by little.”

Possible return date: Returned

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Trevoh Chalobah

Chelsea issued an official statement confirming that Chalobah picked up a knock ahead of the clash against Arsenal. The defender has been nursing a thigh injury this season.

Possible return date: November

Carney Chukwuemeka

Chelsea issued an official statement confirming that Carney Chukwuemeka had picked up a knock ahead of the meeting with Arsenal. He had made the bench against Burnley but has since hit another setback and is yet to play again this season.

The teenager has struggled with a knee problem despite only recently returning to full first-team training at Cobham. It is not certain how long he will be out for.

Possible return date: Unknown

Romeo Lavia

According to the Mail, Lavia is expected to remain out of action until late November despite having taken promising steps towards a full recovery. The report states that the Belgian was able to take off his protective boot last week and he’s since begun his rehabilitation programme at Cobham training ground.

The Mail adds that a return in November is viewed as ‘optimistic’. It’s believed that the west Londoners are cautious of rushing him back ahead of schedule, meaning that Lavia may not return until early December.

What Pochettino said: “I cannot tell you [when he will be back] but he is still not running. After the international break he will not be back.”

Possible return date: Late November to early December