Mauricio Pochettino provides fitness update on three Chelsea stars ahead of Crystal Palace Premier League clash
Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed Enzo Fernandez will not be available for Chelsea's Premier League clash against Crystal Palace. The manager has cast doubt on the availability of Moises Caicedo and Lesley Ugochukwu as well.
Speaking to the media after the loss to Wolverhampton, Pochettino confirmed that he was not getting Fernandez back for the match at home to Crystal Palace. The Argentine is suffering from a hernia issue that kept him out of the match on Christmas Eve as well. He said:
"No, Enzo no. But Mo, hopefully yes. Today he was better, yesterday [Saturday] he was a possibility – but it's a high fever. I hope he can train a little bit and be ready for Palace. With Lesley, we will assess him tomorrow, but I think he felt his hamstring again. I said in the press conference it is important how we reintroduce players, but we were forced because of the problem with Moises to play Lesley. It's a difficult situation because now he's a player we're going to miss, we hope not for too much [time]. We need all of the players."
Caicedo missed the Wolves clash due to a fever and continues to be missing from the matchday squad on Sunday. Ugochukwu, who made an appearance on Christmas eve after a long injury layoff, came off injured during the 2-1 loss.
Chelsea injuries have been frustrating for Mauricio Pochettino
Mauricio Pochettino stated that injuries to his Chelsea players have left him frustrated and disappointed. He admitted that the Blues staff are working hard to get all players available, but the are not able to get things going given that their top players have been unavailable for the majority of the season so far.
He said via Football London:
"Yes I think that it’s really frustrating, the disappointment is there. We are working really hard, I promise. We all work so hard; the medical staff and the performance staff are working really hard to try and anticipate and avoid these types of problems. But sometimes it’s a sacrifice, sometimes it’s bad luck."
He added:
Sometimes situations aren’t the same for a 19-or-20-year-old guy arriving from France, like in Lesley’s case, but we expect him to play and perform for Chelsea in the Premier League. That’s why it’s important not to put too much pressure on, but it’s something we need to think about in the future."
Enzo Fernández, Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Robert Sánchez, Marc Cucurella and Lesley Ugochukwu are ruled out for Chelsea against Crystal Palace on December 28. Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer are suspended for the game after picking up their 5th yellow of the season on Sunday.