Blues boss Frank Lampard has shown that he remains without a range of similar stars, but Tammy Abraham and Ruben Loftus-Cheek can be found.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is hoping to be without N’Golo Kante for three weeks, while no timescale has been placed on Christian Pulisic’s recovery from injury.
The Blues watched the World Cup-winning midfielder pushed off early during their 2-0 defeat to Manchester United.
Kante lasted only 12 minutes in that competition before going down the tunnel.
Lampard admits the France global is set to stay on the sidelines for the near future.
United States global Pulisic is also nursing an adductor problem, with it yet to be decided when he’ll return into contention.
Chelsea are, nevertheless, able to call upon Ruben Loftus-Cheek for the first time this year, as they piece together plans for a London derby date with Tottenham on Saturday, while Andreas Christensen can be obtained after being fitted for a face mask to protect his broken nose.
Leading goalscorer Tammy Abraham is back in contention after being lost since the 2-2 draw with Leicester on February 1.
Lampard told reporters when offering his most recent fitness update:”N’Golo is not fit, muscle injury. Similar to Arsenal. Hopefully three weeks.
“Pulisic not match, no specific date. A tricky injury.
“Ruben is in the group. Not fit to begin, but in the group.
“Andreas went to find a mask and has trained with that. Available for selection.
“Tammy has trained for the previous two days. Probably 70%. He’s in the group.”
Injury problems have been an issue for Chelsea during the 2019-20 effort, with Lampard eager to point out that he’s had to shuffle his pack on a regular basis.
He added: “This year is a transitional year, and fans love that.
“Not many teams have experienced our injuries. Kante has played 50% of those matches. The fans admire that and they see what we attempt to do. They’ll be there to support us.
“It is tight right now and we want the fans. The players will give everything.”
Little was expected of Lampard when he returned to Stamford Bridge in a managerial capacity last summer, but he is conscious of the requirement to deliver Champions League qualification.
Quizzed on if he feels under stress, the Blues legend said: “I always feel it, because this is the top sport. I thrive on it.
“I’ve enjoyed this week. It was disappointing to lose on Monday [against United], but this is the challenge for us.
“Everybody probably wrote us off for high. It’s a process and the pressure is always there.”
Chelsea sit fourth in the Premier League table at present but are just 1 point clear of Spurs, two before Sheffield United and three facing Manchester United.
