Chelsea beat Tottenham on Tuesday night to boost their hopes of qualifying for Europe, but picked up three new injury worries in the process.
Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos scored to cancel out Richarlison’s late strike and three points will work wonders as the Blues look to clinch a last-minute European berth.
While results elsewhere on Tuesday confirmed they can no longer reach the Champions League, a Europa or Conference League berth remains within reach, and a win at Sunderland on the final day of the Premier League season will be vital to achieving that end.
With that in mind, here is all the latest Chelsea injury news and potential return dates...
Joao Pedro
Joao Pedro was a surprise absentee from the team-sheet to face Spurs, with Liam Delap starting in his place and enduring another frustrating match.
It was revealed pre-match that Joao Pedro missed the match with a minor knock.
The Brazilian was in attendance at Stamford Bridge, though, to collect his player of the year award and participate in the post-match lap of honour.
Interim head coach Calum McFarlane said: “Joao Pedro had a slight knock, nothing that we're massively concerned about. But again, with the quick turnaround from City, it just wasn't worth risking Joao Pedro in that moment.
"It's definitely a wait and see (if he can play against Sunderland). We've got a little bit of time from now until then. So we're hopeful, but we won't know that until the next couple of days, see how the next couple of days unfold."
Potential return date: May 24 vs Sunderland (A)
Reece James
Reece James was named to the bench as Chelsea faced Tottenham and played no part, with McFarlane later revealing that he had been left out to aid his recovery from the FA Cup final.
Chelsea’s captain played 83 minutes of the defeat by Manchester City.
James has struggled with recurring injuries in the past and had his workload managed considerably earlier this season following a hamstring problem.
Speaking after the full-time whistle on Tuesday, McFarlane said: “We had Reece on the bench tonight, but again, coming off the back of an injury, the turnaround from the City game, the type of game that the City game was, we didn't really want to risk him in that moment.
"It's definitely a wait and see (if he can be involved against Sunderland). We've got a little bit of time from now until then. So we're hopeful, but we won't know that until the next couple of days, see how the next couple of days unfold."
Potential return date: May 24 vs Sunderland (A)
Levi Colwill
Levi Colwill has rediscovered his form at an impressive speed since returning from an ACL injury, but he joined his team-mates James and Joao Pedro in missing the Tottenham match.
He was left out of the squad altogether, but McFarlane has since confirmed he was simply having his workload managed.
McFarlane said: “Levi has obviously come off the back of a very serious injury. So it was probably too quick of a turnaround from the cup final.
“So that one pretty much speaks for itself. So we didn't want to risk him. We couldn't afford to risk him tonight, but that would be expected. That would have been the plan from the beginning.”
Asked if Colwill could feature against Sunderland, he added: "It's definitely a wait and see. We've got a little bit of time from now until then. So we're hopeful, but we won't know that until the next couple of days, see how the next couple of days unfold."
Potential return date: May 24 vs Sunderland (A)
Romeo Lavia
Romeo Lavia was a surprise absentee from Chelsea’s FA Cup final matchday squad, with Calum McFarlane revealing ahead of the Tottenham clash that the midfielder picked up a knock in training beforehand.
"Romeo took a slight knock in the build-up to the game,” the Chelsea interim head coach explained on Monday morning. “Nothing major.
“But with Romeo, we didn't want to – I didn't want to – take that risk. We just have to be careful with players with an injury history."
Potential return date: Unknown
Estevao
Estevao tweaked his hamstring while through in the 1-0 loss to Manchester United. He has since been ruled out for the remainder of the season and he will also miss this summer’s World Cup.
There is some positive news though, Standard Sport understands that Estevao and Chelsea have come to an agreement over his recovery programme and that there is no plan for the Brazilian to undergo surgery any time soon.
In a new update, McFarlane said: “I’m sure those conversations are going on, in terms of how long his recovery is going to be.
“We know that he’s not going to be fit for us from now until the rest of the season.
“Estevao is a top player, a top talent, really good to work with. But, right now, our focus is on the next three games, and we’ll do whatever we can to help Estevao with his recovery.”
Potential return date: Unknown
Jamie Gittens
Jamie Gittens suffered a hamstring injury during a rare start for Chelsea at home to West Ham on January 31.
The winger initially ruled out for around six weeks, with a return to action against Newcastle on March 17 pencilled in until he suffered a setback in his recovery.
The 21-year-old is yet to resume full training and former head coach Liam Rosenior raised doubts as to whether the former Borussia Dortmund forward will play again this season.
“I can't give you a definitive answer on that,” Rosenior said. “Jamie actually has responded really well to his last setback, but I don't want to put pressure on him.
“We need to make sure he's right in the long term.”
Potential return date: Unknown
