Midfield enforcer N'Golo Kante will miss Chelsea's trip to Premier League champions Liverpool on Wednesday evening, head coach Frank Lampard has confirmed.
The midfielder, who has been key in the Blues' three-man midfield this term, has missed the last four matches in league and cup because of a hamstring injury.
There was hope amongst the Chelsea medical staff that he would have been available for selection for tomorrow night's clash against the champions at Anfield but he has not be deemed fit enough to make his return.
When asked if Lampard would be available for the trip to Merseyside, the Blues boss delivered a short but straight to the point answer.
"N'Golo is not fit," Lampard said.
The absence of Kante once again is a blow for Chelsea as it means they are without their tough-tackling midfield enforcer, but it does mean that it will once again present an opportunity for Jorginho to retain his place in midfield and protect the back-four.
But Chelsea can ill-afford to get too downhearted about the loss of Kante, as the task that lies ahead against Jurgen Klopp's side would have still been as difficult even if they had the former Leicester City star available for selection.
Despite having dominated the Premier League this season, Liverpool have appeared to take a step back since mathematically securing the title a few weeks ago, and Lampard believes that securing the achievement with games still to play has affected Klopp's side.
"It changes the face of it. They have had an incredible campaign, there can be a small dip," Lampard added. "They were virtually unbeatable, but I only consider the best Liverpool."
