Chelsea suffer a huge blow as key midfielder is ruled out for Barcelona clash

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Chelsea take on Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday and already the problems seem to be creeping up for Antonio Conte.

The sword is hanging over Antonio Conte’s head and if his team fails to progress to the later stages of the Champions League then surely the Italian will be shown the door at Stamford Bridge. In order to beat Barcelona in the two-legged tie the Italian has to ensure that each and every player is fit for selection but by the looks of it, the injuries have already started creeping in.

The Blues manager has confirmed that midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko will not be available for selection for the Barcelona tie on Tuesday.

Conte confirmed this bit of news while speaking after Friday night’s emphatic 4-0 FA Cup victory over Hull.

At first, the Chelsea fans might think that this will not be a big headache given the fact that Bakayoko has been consistently underperforming since his arrival at Stamford Bridge in the summer.

If you look deeper though, this is actually quite a big issue as far as rotation is concerned. N’Golo Kante will be partnered by Cesc Fabregas in midfield but with Bakayoko unavailable, Antonio Conte will not have the luxury of a quality substitute.

Bakayoko has not featured for Chelsea since he was sent off against Watford in the club’s 4-1 away defeat at the start of February and his absence is sure to give Conte a selection dilemma.

Read: Michy Batshuayi fires shot at Chelsea manager Antonio Conte after a dream start in Germany.

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