Chelsea are back in action in the Premier League this weekend when they face Brentford away from home and five players along with Romelu Lukaku could be missing for this encounter.
The Blues have picked up from where they left off last season and going into this matchweek they are sitting at the top of the table with 16 points from seven games.
Chelsea are obviously the favourites to win on Saturday but they could be without some really important players and this could force Thomas Tuchel to name a second fiddle side.
The first and biggest concern is Romelu Lukaku who is suffering from muscle overload. Tuchel has cast a doubt over his participation claiming that he might not be a 100% fit by the weekend.
“Romelu is suffering from muscle overload. I don’t know how long it will take to recover,” the German said.
“There is an excellent understanding between the two sets of medical staff and we want to do the best for the player.”
Antonio Rudiger is another playing who’s on the recovery table, as he’s suffering from back pain. As per the latest reports, he’ll go through a late fitness test to determine his availability.
Reece James and N’Golo Kante have returned to training this week and will be available for selection but we’ll have to wait and see if they are fit enough to be named in the starting XI or not.
Christian Pulisic is completely ruled out with an ankle injury which he had picked up before the international break.
Thiago Silva is another absentee since he’s playing for the Brazilian national team and will not make it back in time to play against Brentford.
The Bees have two really strong and physical forwards in their ranks so if both Rudiger and Silva are missing then it could be a cause of concern for Thomas Tuchel.
If Romelu Lukaku is not fit enough to play then Timo Werner will get a chance to lead the line, something which once again plays the game to the hands of Brentford.
UPDATE:
Chelsea have just released pictures of their latest training session and we can see Romelu Lukaku training with the rest of the first-team squad. So it’s safe to say that the Belgian international will be fit to feature vs Brentford during the weekend.
Romelu Lukaku in Chelsea training today…as expected. There was no real concern over his fitness ahead of Brentford. pic.twitter.com/Ea9O2p1TOd
— Adam Newson (@AdamNewson) October 14, 2021
