Chelsea make the trip to Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon but they will head to the Vitality Stadium without four first-team players for the contest.
The Blues are battling hard for their spot in the top four after an indifferent run of form, so their clash with the Cherries has taken on added significance.
Chelsea make the trip to Dorset off the back of a disappointing night in the Champions League in the week, where they were outclassed by Bayern Munich in a result which has left them with almost no chance of progressing in the competition.
That leaves the Blues fighting for the FA Cup and their top four spot, a position which has gotten hugely vulnerable in recent weeks.
Chelsea are going to have to go in search for the three points without four key men, with Christian Pulisic, N’Golo Kante, Tammy Abraham and Callum Hudson-Odoi all on the sidelines.
Blues boss confirmed they would miss the game when he addressed the media ahead of the game, and gave an update on the status of the quartet.
“Pulisic is still injured and Kante is still injured,” the Chelsea official website quotes him as saying.
“Abraham is injured with the same problem as before. We’re trying to find a solution with him. It’s frustrating that he has come in and out somewhat but he’s injured for tomorrow. Callum is another one who isn’t fit this weekend.”
There is some bright news for Chelsea though, and it comes in the return of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, a player who is yet to feature under Frank Lampard this term, a record that could change on Saturday.
‘Ruben is in the squad again for tomorrow,’
‘We haven’t had great opportunity to get Ruben as much game time as much as we want. I felt against Tottenham he could be an impact of some sort in the game but Bayern was a different animal of a game so I took a different decision for him to get some good training in during the week.
‘It would mean a lot to have him back. It’s a lonely place being out for that long. He was in a very good run of form last year. I thought he was playing really well and you could see his development and confidence of getting in the first team.
‘He hasn’t kicked a ball for me but with the ability he’s got, he’s one of the most exciting English midfield players in the Premier League because of the attributes he has so we all want him back.’
