Chilwell has been sidelined with a hamstring ιnjury since late September, and Chukwuemeka had just two games under his belt before hurting his knee.
The Blues boss said that neither Chilwell nor Chukwuemeka will be risked this weekend, as Chelsea are scheduled to face Preston North End in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.
Notably, the Blues had a week off after their win at Luton Town, giving their players a much-needed break from the hectic holiday schedule.
“Chilwell and Carney are not available for tomorrow,” Pochettino explained in his pre-match press conference. Who knows, maybe it’ll be Fulham or Middlesbrough in the following game. They have been practicing with the rest of the group recently, and we are pleased with their progress.
“Lavia is on the mend following his ιnjury. When he becomes available again is a mystеry to us. During the match against Palace, he experienced a quad ιnjury. I believe Benoît will be free next week.
[And] Christoph will be on the bench tomorrow after experiencing some problems during the week, but he will still be a part of the team. As I mentioned before, we need to exercise caution around him. Additionally, the Chelsea manager mentioned that after a six-month absence from competition, his performance is noticeably different upon his return.
According to a source from the Standard, Lesley Ugochukwu is reported to have encountered a setback in his recuperation from a hamstring ιnjury, as Pochettino failed to nаme this player.
According to the source, the French Under-21 international might be out for as long as six weeks after re-injuring his hamstring in the Blues’ match against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Christmas Eve.
With thirteen appearances across all competitions this season, Ugochukwu has been an integral part of Pochettino’s success.
Chelsea has opted to bring back young player Andrey Santos from his dismal loan spell at Nottingham Forest, where he made only two appearances in the first half of the season, in light of Ugochukwu’s ιnjury.
The teenager is back in Chelsea training and might be a factor in this weekend’s match against Preston. He is just 19 years old.
On the other hand, Nicolas Jackson, who has been called up by Senegal for their forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations campaign, will most certainly not feature in Saturday’s FA Cup match.
Armando Broja and Christopher Nkunku, who have both been out with injuries for long stretches, may be able to have a chance if that happens.
Armando could play, according to Pochettino. Because of an ιnjury he sustained last week, Christopher will not start. Even though he won’t start, he will be on the team. Because he is returning to competition after a six-month layoff, we must exercise caution around him.
As one of Chelsea’s primary strikers, Armando will have a chance to shine and relax, according to the manager, who also mentioned that his player might see more action. We have complete faith in him because of his extraordinary qualities and potential. He needs to put the past year’s ιnjury behind him and act normally now.
After spending about £350 million in the summer, Chelsea would likely have to sell some players in order to make any new additions during the January transfer window. Speculation had it that the Blues were interested in Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney.