Aston Villa’s promotion hopes have suffered a significant blow following an injury sustained to Tammy Abraham on Friday.
The Chelsea loanee was forced off after scoring his side’s second goal against relegation-threatened Bolton Wanderers on Friday and he is expected to be sidelined for Monday’s clash with Millwall.
Aston Villa will also be fearful that Abraham, who has scored 25 goals this season, could miss further matches in the chase for a return to the Premier League - and potentially the playoffs.
Dean Smith spoke about the blow following the match. He said: It’s too early to diagnose it but I don’t expect him to be fit for Monday.
'Bring him back for Higuain!' Chelsea fans rave about Tammy Abraham after another goal
“We’re hoping it’s not too bad. He was down for a while. The doctor said he will have to come off because he’s in too much pain.”
Villa have just three matches remaining this season, clashing with Leeds United on the penultimate weekend before facing off against title-favourites Norwich City on the final day.
Any absence of Abraham for those clashes could prove to be disastrous to Villa’s promotion push and fans may fear deja vu after suffering heartbreak at Wembley last year.
Smith is hopeful that injury news is more positive elsewhere however. Jonathan Kodjia is expected to return while Axel Tuanzebe’s ankle injury isn’t thought to be serious.
Chelsea news: Blues make strange Eden Hazard decision, forward to meet Marina Granovskaia
He said: “I’m expecting Kodjia to be fit so he can wrestle Keinan for that spot if Tammy is out.
“Axel rolled his ankle slightly. It shouldn’t be too much of a worry.”
'Throw a pizza slice!' - Arsenal & Chelsea fans go wild after Cesc Fabregas' hilarious Spurs dig
Keep up to date with the latest news, features and exclusives from football.london via the free football.london app for iPhone and Android .
Available to download from the App Store and Google Play .
