Chelsea have been dealt an injury blow ahead of next weekend's Premier League showdown with Manchester United.
Second-placed United take on Thomas Tuchel's side at Stamford Bridge on Sunday as they bid to stay in touch with leaders Manchester City.
Both teams are in European action before that, and Tuchel has confirmed he will be without defender Thiago Silva for the first leg of the Champions League last 16 tie with Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
The vastly-experienced centre-back has been out of action since suffering an injury during the 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in early February.
The Brazilian has missed the past four matches but was pictured training with the Chelsea squad last week.
That raised hopes that he could be available to return for the Atletico match but he will not make the trip to Romania, where the tie is being played due to coronavirus travel restrictions.
“He is not available,” Tuchel confirmed at his pre-match press conference on Monday.
“He is training right now. We are leaving and he is not available.”
Whether Silva is available to face United remains to be seen but, if he is, it would be his first action in almost a month.
There was some better news for Chelsea on the injury front, though.
Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic are in contention for the Champions League game, having had their own fitness issues.
Meanwhile, Mason Mount has also been passed fit after picking up a knock in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Southampton.
United play the second leg of their Europa League last 32 tie against Real Sociedad at Old Trafford on Thursday, which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 's side lead 4-0 from last week's first leg.
