Chelsea maintained their unbeaten start to life under head coach Thomas Tuchel with a 2-1 win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday evening.
Goals from Mason Mount and Jorginho either side of a disastrous own-goal from Antonio Rudiger sealed all three points for the Blues as well as a third win on the spin.
It was a commanding performance from Tuchel’s side, who dealt with everything that the Blades had to throw at them, meaning they are now back to within one point of the top-four and looking as though they do have the quality within their ranks to secure a Champions League spot this season.
However, Chelsea will have to switch their focus away from league action on Thursday evening when they travel to South Yorkshire for the second time in a matter of days to face Championship side Barnsley at Oakwell in the FA Cup fifth round.
The clash with the Tykes is likely to see Tuchel make changes to his side and allow some of his more senior stars to earn a well-earned rest after a hectic run of matches.
But will injury troubles allow him to do that? Here, we have rounded-up all of the very latest Chelsea injury news ahead of the clash with Barnsley.
Thiago Silva
Chelsea will be without centre-back Silva when they travel to Barnsley on Thursday evening, Tuchel confirmed following Sunday night’s win at Bramall Lane.
With 36 minutes on the clock of last Thursday evening’s 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, the Brazilian was forced off and replaced by Andreas Christensen.
Despite Tuchel remaining hopeful he could be fit for the clash with the Blades, Silva poured cold water on his boss’ hopes, taking to Instagram to deliver the bad news.
A rough translation of the message – via Chelsea Reddit – read: “Injuries are part of our profession, now I’m treating and coming back stronger.”
Following Sunday evening’s win, Tuchel issued an update on the former Paris Saint-Germain star’s condition, confirming he will definitely miss the clash with Barnsley.
Tuchel said: “With Thiago, we are fighting for him every day but he will be for sure out for the FA Cup so it will take time.
“It will be several days but we set the goal, I would like him back for maybe Southampton, that’s realistic but also ambitious.
“I know Thiago, he will do everything to be ready as soon as possible but it is a muscle injury so you cannot take any risk.”
Christian Pulisic
USA international Pulisic was a notable absentee from the match-day squad at Bramall Lane, sparking fears of an injury concern when the team news was confirmed an hour before kick-off.
However, Tuchel, who worked alongside Pulisic at Borussia Dortmund, allayed those concerns fears after the full-time whistle, confirming a “family issue” was the reason for his absence.
“Christian has some family issues to resolve and family is always first so we decided to give him a rest for this game,” Tuchel said.
Kai Havertz
After being forced to miss the trip to Spurs through a minor injury he picked up in training last Wednesday morning, the Germany international was hoping to return against the Blades.
Havertz, however, failed to make the cut, suggesting he was not yet at the levels Tuchel would have hoped for. It is currently unclear if he will be fit in time for the trip to Oakwell.
Timo Werner
Despite bagging an assist for Mount’s opener and winning the penalty for Jorginho to claim Chelsea’s second goal on Sunday evening, Werner’s night ended in disappointment on 75 minutes when he was replaced by midfield ace N’Golo Kante.
After coming off the pitch and taking his seat in the stand, the Germany international was spotted with some heavy strapping on his thigh, suggesting he had picked up an injury complaint.
However, Tuchel insisted it was nothing more than a dead leg.
He said: “Yeah, I’m not sure how you say it in English, you call it a “dead leg” or something?
“That describes it good. It’s not serious, It is very painful for him in this moment but now, I think he’ll be fine.”
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