Chelsea are slowly picking up pace under their new manager but the long injury list is still a major cause of concern for Graham Potter.
The Blues are currently 10th on the Premier League table and next up, they will face Aston Villa, a team who are actually level on points with the London side.
Currently, as many as 10 players are on the sidelines for Chelsea but some of them should come back to the matchday squad on Saturday.
Azpilicueta missed the previous few matches due to a concussion protocol so he will return and even Fofana should be back. Fofana did not feature for France during the international break because he was recovering from a hamstring problem but the defender’s got a two-week break so things should have headed in a positive direction.
Edouard Mendy has made a full recovery from his surgery to recover from his fractured finger and the keeper will be in line to replace Kepa in front of goal.
However, the international break has brought several setbacks for the Chelsea manager with several players pulling out of their respective national team duties.
Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling both did not feature for the Three Lions because of a hip and a hamstring injury respectively and they now remain a doubt for the Aston Villa game as well. Mason Mount has been very below-par this season so his absence won’t be an issue for the Chelsea boss but if Sterling is back to full fitness then it’s going to be a big boost for Graham Potter.
Kai Havertz was another player who pulled out of international duty but his absence was due to illness. The German international has been the main centre-forward for Potter so his availability will be very essential for the Blues.
England’s Reece James did not play against Ukraine because of a hamstring injury but the reports are suggesting that his withdrawal was just a precaution and he will play against Aston Villa.
An official statement from Chelsea FC read: “Reece James has withdrawn from the England squad and will not feature against Ukraine on Sunday. The full-back has returned to Chelsea for assessment on an ongoing issue.”
If James is not fit then Graham Potter will most likely go for a change in formation because Azpilicueta does not have the legs to play as a wing-back. The other option would be to use Ruben Loftus-Cheek in that role.
Thiago Silva remains sidelined for six weeks due to his knee injury which means he is expected to make a comeback sometime towards the end of next month.
One of the major criticisms of Potter is that he keeps rotating his team but with so many injured players, it is very hard for the Chelsea manager to stay with a constant starting XI for several matchdays.
