Chelsea take on Newcastle United in the Premier League this weekend and Frank Lampard could be without a number of key players for this encounter.
Right before the international break, the manager had an almost perfectly fit squad for the Southampton game but a number of his key players have picked up knocks during the past week.
The likes of N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic injured themselves while on international duty and initial reports had claimed that they could miss the match against the Magpies.
Now though it looks like the duo’s injuries are not too serious and they should be available for selection for the Chelsea vs Newcastle United clash.
But the manager will have a few defensive woes since both Andreas Christensen and Emerson remain doubtful for this upcoming game.
Christensen injured his hamstring while playing for Denmark and as per the latest gossip, he will not be fit in time for the Chelsea vs Newcastle United clash.
Emerson has been out with a hamstring injury for a couple of weeks now and right now he is facing a race against time to make himself available for selection.
If the Italian international is ruled out then Marcos Alonso will take his place at left-back on Saturday.
But all is not doom and gloom for the Chelsea boss at the back since centre-back Antonio Rudiger is being poised for a return and there is good enough chance that the German could be named in the matchday squad vs the Magpies.
While some rumours claim the defender could also start but we don’t think the manager will take that risk. At best, Rudiger could get a few minutes on the pitch towards the end of the match only if the Blues have managed to wrap up the three points by then.
With Rudiger unlikely to start and Christensen also ruled out, the pairing of Kurt Zouma and Tomori should be named as the first-choice central defensive pairing for the Chelsea vs Newcastle game.
