Chelsea set to be without key player for clash with Arsenal
Britain Football Soccer - Sunderland v Chelsea - Premier League - The Stadium of Light - 14/12/16 Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas celebrates scoring their first goal Action Images via Reuters / Lee Smith Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Chelsea are set for a major blow ahead of this weekend’s London derby against Arsenal, as a star player looks set to miss the clash due to injury.
Metro reports that former Gunners skipper Cesc Fabregas will not be able to feature against his old side due to a knee injury, which also left him on the sidelines for Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Huddersfield Town on Saturday.
31-year-old Fabregas did not take part in a light training session on Monday with the rest of the squad and is not expected to recover in time for Saturday’s late fixture, giving Maurizio Sarri a selection issue to overcome.
Fortunately, Chelsea have significant depth in this area and Sarri could hand a debut to Mateo Kovacic after he signed on Deadline Day on loan from Real Madrid.
The Blues could bring Kovacic into their midfield trio in place of Ross Barkley, partnering N’Golo Kante and Jorginho in the middle of the park.