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Football London
Football London
Sport
Amie Wilson

Chelsea news: Valencia injury crisis, Barkley's 'lack of professionalism' and Hudson-Odoi boost

It is back to Champions League action for Frank Lampard and Chelsea as they look to confirm their place in the last 16 of the competition.

The Blues know that a win over La Liga side Valencia will put them into the knockout stages of the tournament, with one group game to spare, due to their superior head to head record compared to the Spanish side.

Chelsea may also see the game as an opportunity to bounce back, after they lost only their second game in 12 outings on Saturday, as they were defeated 2-1 by reigning Premier League Champions Manchester City.

The reverse fixture against Valencia didn't quite go to plan, with the visitors taking all three points away from Stamford Bridge, but Chelsea have a chance to get their revenge tonight (Wednesday).

So, while the the players prepare for the match, why not take a look at the latest Chelsea news from the past 24 hours?

Valencia injury crisis

Chelsea's Champions League opponents are to be without three players in the middle of the park when they host the Blues tonight (Wednesday), forcing them to play a wing back in midfield.

The Spanish side have had a rollercoaster season already this campaign, and sit 10th in La Liga table. They had won three games, but conceded a last minute winner in their last outing against Real Betis.

The reverse fixture saw Valencia come out as 1-0 winners after Ross Barkley missed a late penalty at Stamford Bridge.

Read more about Valencia's injury problems here .

Lampard on Barkley's 'lack of professionalism' 

Lampard has backed Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley to be a big part of his squad on return from injury, although he did accuse the England international as having a 'lack of professionalism'.

The 25-year-old appeared in a video showing him partying in Dubai during the international break, despite missing the last seven games for club and country with an ankle injury.

Barkley has been left out of the travelling squad for the Valencia game due to a combination of the video and his injury, and Lampard has had his say on the incident.

See what the Chelsea boss said here .

Hudson-Odoi injury boost

Another player who has not been included in the travelling squad for the trip to Spain is fellow England midfielder Callum Hudson-Odoi.

The 19-year-old missed the clash with Manchester City at the weekend with a thigh injury that he picked up while on international duty with the Three Lions.

But there is good news over the winger's fitness, with Lampard confirming that he is hopeful that he will be available for the Premier League encounter with West Ham United on Saturday.

There was also some news on defender Antonio Rudiger.

See when he is likely to be back fit here .

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