Things get no easier for Frank Lampard at Chelsea. The interim coach is set for his sixth game back in charge but has to face a wounded Arsenal side keen to set their wrongs at home.
Mikel Arteta will be without his own stars for the game as William Saliba continues to be ruled out. However, Chelsea have been toothless in front of goal for some time and will still be tasked with getting past a stubborn Arsenal side with no more room for slip-ups.
Lampard will have to do it without Reece James and Mason Mount, though, as the pair continue to recover from their own previous setbacks which are set to see them ruled out for the rest of the season. "Reece James is unavailable, probably for the season," Lampard said before the Brentford game.
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"Reece had a hamstring he picked up in the Madrid game, he got through the game but we scanned it the following day," he added. Meanwhile Mount has been struggling for some time. "Mason Mount is the same [probably out for the season]. Potential for the last game of the season but probably not. That's obviously disappointing for us.
"Mason has been carrying this pelvic injury for quite a while, it pre-dates myself. We've been trying and the medical staff have been trying but we've got to the stage now where he'll have a minor surgery. Probably a four-week recovery and we know where that gets us to."
As for the rest of the squad, Kalidou Koulibaly is facing the prospect of missing the last six games of the season. "Yeah, [he's] out for a while still," Lampard said. "I think it will be a tight call for the season, he's working away.
"[I've] been impressed with him actually as a professional, he's doing his job very well. Unfortunately the injury is a bit of a tough one."
He was another that missed the second leg against Real Madrid with a hamstring injury of his own. The good news for Chelsea is that Kai Havertz is fit to return having missed last week's game with the Bees. "Kai Havertz is in contention for the game, he's trained," said Lampard.
Marc Cucurella is also out. The 44-year-old said that he will be missing for another fortnight or so as defensive issues continue to plague the Blues. Marcus Bettenlli is also injured having missed the last game too. Armando Broja is the only other long-term absentee in the side and won't return until next season.
He has updated fans of his progress, saying in an interview with the club: "I am recovering much faster than expected. Being able to get back into the gym and work on strength training has been a huge boost for me, as I was forced to stay in bed and spend more time in physiotherapy during the first few weeks after surgery.
"It was the most difficult period."
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