Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has given an injury update on key duo Willian and Mateo Kovacic.
Both players picked up knocks in their FA Cup Fifth Round tie on Tuesday evening, adding to the long-list of injury concerns for the Blues.
Willian scored for Chelsea in their impressive 2-0 victory over Liverpool and was withdrawn in the second half, while Kovacic didn’t make it until half-time before being forced off.
This weekend Lampard’s side welcome Everton to Stamford Bridge as they look to cling onto their place in the top four of the Premier League.
The Chelsea boss gave an update on Willian and Kovacic ahead of Sunday’s crucial clash in their race to secure a place in next season’s Champions League.
“Both have got an Achilles’ issue,” Lampard commented, as reported by Football London.
“Willian hopefully is not too bad, that is what he is reporting there so we will see how he is tomorrow.
“Kovacic’s feels slightly worse. Hopefully not too drastic, so we’ll see.”
It is worrying news for Chelsea as they head into their final 10 fixtures of the Premier League season, with Manchester United and Wolves among the teams right on their tail.
The Blues will have to make assessments on Andreas Christensen and Tammy Abraham ahead of their clash with Everton, while N’Golo Kante, Christian Pulisic and Marko van Ginkel are sidelined indefinitely.
Chelsea will be able to call upon Ruben Loftus-Cheek on Sunday though, as he has returned from injury, but they will also be hoping to have Willian and Kovacic fit for selection.
Lampard’s side have just one win from their last five Premier League outings, and will need to improve their form if they are to maintain their place in the top four.
With a number of clubs chasing Chelsea, in one of the tightest battles for a European spot for some time, the London club can’t afford many more slip ups between now and the end of the campaign.
