Nottingham Forest are hopeful a hip injury for defender Chema is not serious as they await the results of an MRI scan.
The Spaniard was substituted early on in the New Year’s Day victory over Blackburn Rovers, after suffering from the problem in the previous game, against Wigan Athletic.
Even if he gets the green light, it is unlikely he will be risked in Sunday’s FA Cup tie at Chelsea - but boss Sabri Lamouchi is planning to make a number of changes to his starting XI.
“He has had an MRI to make sure, but I hope it is not so serious, just a pain,” said Lamouchi, who added youngsters such as Brennan Johnson and Alex Mighten could make the trip to the capital, even if they do not make the matchday squad.
“It is not definite he will miss Sunday. But if there is a question mark about whether it is necessary to take a risk with him, I don’t think so.
“It is a necessity to change some, because we have played a lot of games in a few days.
“We need to give some opportunities, sometimes, for some players to play.
“But I also want to compete a little bit, with the opponent.
“To change completely is not possible.”
Lamouchi is well aware of the challenge ahead against Frank Lampard’s side, and has made it clear his priority is the league - with Forest aiming to reach the top-flight themselves.
“It is very tough. They are one of the best teams in the Premier League, with a young manager who has quality,” the Frenchman said.
“They have quality players and are a fantastic team.
“We just want to not get ridiculed and to disturb them a little bit.
“We want to give a good image of our club and our team, but of course we cannot compete at the same level.
“We must enjoy it, we must fight and we must run all together because it will be a very tough game.
“I would be happy with a draw!
“Our target is not to win the FA Cup - not now, not yet.
“We want to go there and try to disturb them, to play our game, to put in a good performance and give some time for some players.
“We will make some changes, but not too much - it is necessary for the rest of the season.
“But to play there, in a fantastic stadium, against a fantastic team, it is a fantastic opportunity.
“They don’t have a lot of weaknesses. But we go there with nothing to lose. We will just try to enjoy it.”
