Stamford Bridge is braced for total mayhem this weekend as Chelsea prepare to host Newcastle United in the Premier League — with as many as eight first-team players potentially ruled out through a combination of injuries and suspension.
The Blues head into the fixture sitting fifth in the table and desperate to bounce back from their midweek Champions League thrashing, a 5-2 home defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. Manager Liam Rosenior knows three points are vital if Chelsea are to keep their top-four hopes alive, but he will have to do it without several key men.
Rosenior delivered the grim injury bulletin himself:
“Estevao Willian is still expected to be unavailable as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury that has already kept him out of the last five matches. We want to be careful with Este because of the nature of the injury — we don’t want it recurring at a crucial stage of the season. We’ll see what he’s like for Tuesday’s game against PSG.”
There is slightly better news on Jamie Gittens, who has missed the last nine games with his own hamstring problem. Rosenior confirmed: “Jamie’s back involved, which is great,” but stopped short of guaranteeing him a starting place.
Chelsea will definitely be without Pedro Neto, who serves a one-match ban after collecting two yellow cards in the recent Arsenal defeat. Long-term absentee Levi Colwill also remains sidelined with a knee injury.
That means four Chelsea players — Estevao Willian, Pedro Neto, Levi Colwill, and possibly Jamie Gittens — could be missing.
Newcastle are in equal disarray. Eddie Howe revealed that Brazil international Bruno Guimarães is still recovering from a hamstring injury that forced him to return home for the early stages of rehabilitation.
“He is back on Monday,” Howe said. “Typical Bruno, he wants to come to Barcelona and support the team even though he can’t play. Once he is back with us we will assess him. By the time the international break has ended we hope he will be available.”
Midfielder Lewis Miley is also out after his thigh injury has taken far longer to heal than anyone expected. Howe admitted: “He is not training with the group. He is on the grass now running again and working incredibly hard, but we have to be careful — we don’t want it to turn into something more serious. It has gone on longer than anyone had hoped.”
Defenders Fabian Schär and Emil Krafth complete the casualty list and are also unavailable.
With four Newcastle players confirmed absent and Chelsea missing at least three (possibly four), the Premier League fixture is heading into absolute chaos at Stamford Bridge.
Both managers will be forced to dig deep into their squads for a match that could have huge implications for Champions League qualification. Fans at Stamford Bridge are in for a frantic afternoon — one where injuries, not tactics, may decide the outcome.