Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta, Reece James: Latest Chelsea injury news ahead of Lille UCL clash
On Wednesday, Chelsea will travel to Lille for the second leg of their last-16 Champions League tie with the French champions.
The Blues already have a 2-0 lead after scoring goals from Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic in the first match at Stamford Bridge.
However, since the first match in London, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been faced with a slew of sanctions from the UK government, raising concerns over whether Chelsea’s journey to France may be disrupted.
Despite their off-field problems, the Blues have been in fantastic form on the field.
Chelsea has won their last five Premier League games in a row, and their 1-0 victory over Newcastle on Sunday helped the team maintain third place in the rankings.
And Thomas Tuchel will be hoping that his team can continue to put their off-field issues aside in order to secure a spot in the competition’s quarter-finals.
However, against the Magpies, the west London side was missing a number of key players. With that in mind, sportsdias offers you the most up-to-date injury information ahead of the second leg match against Lille.
Thiago Silva
The Brazilian’s absence from the matchday squad for Sunday’s match against Newcastle caused considerable consternation.
Silva was knocked out a couple of times in last week’s 3-1 win over Norwich, but he finished the game. As a result, after missing out against the Magpies, there was considerable doubt over his fitness.
The experienced defender was’rested,’ according to football.london, and should be available for this match.
Expected return date: Lille (A)- March, 16.
Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi
In the 4-0 win over Burnley earlier this month, James returned to the starting lineup after a lengthy layoff.
However, he sustained another injury during the victory at Turf Moor and was forced to miss Sunday’s win against Newcastle, making him a doubt for the match against Lille.
Hudson-Odoi, meanwhile, has been dealing with an Achilles ailment and will face a late fitness test.
What Tuchel has said: “With Reece and Callum, we will try to have them join in training later but this will be a very tight race.”
Expected return date: Unknown
Cesar Azpilicueta
After being substituted during last week’s win at Norwich due to illness, the Blues captain was not included in the matchday squad for the match against Newcastle.
Azpilicueta has recovered from his injury and is expected to start against Lille.
What Tuchel has said: “Azpi is ready to start.”
Expected return date: Lille (A) – March, 16.
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Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta, Reece James: Latest Chelsea injury news ahead of Lille UCL clash
