Chelsea have had a subpar 2022-23 season. They are in the bottom half of the Premier League table, and were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid in the quarterfinal. As things stand, they will not be able to even qualify for the UEFA Conference League.
Now, as they head into the final weeks of the Premier League calendar, they have a mammoth opponent in Manchester City, who hosts them this Sunday. The London club will be looking to secure their second victory under manager Frank Lampard, who has given an insight into the injury situation in his squad in a press conference.
https://twitter.com/realanita_/status/1658454562296983552
“Injury-wise, we’re pretty much similar to where we have been recently, in terms of Mason, Reece, Chilly, N’Golo and Marc Cucurella are not fit,” Lampard said during the press conference.
Mason Mount, whose form has dropped dramatically, will miss his fifth straight Premier League game today because of a pelvis injury he’s had for nearly a month.
Injuries have hampered Reece James’s season, first with a knee issue and now with a hamstring injury; Ben Chillwell is also currently sidelined by an injury.
Marc Cucurella, just like Mount and James, has been sidelined with an injury since the Brentford match, while N’golo Kante has been extremely unlucky with his health, making only seven Premier League appearances this season.
Kalidou Koulibaly, another summer signing for Chelsea, is recovering from a hamstring injury, and Lampard confirmed that he is not yet ready to play. Benoit Badiashile will also miss the match due to a groin injury.
Chelsea could become the party poppers for Manchester City
Chelsea could well be the club to postpone Manchester City’s title celebrations on Sunday, as the Citizens need only one victory out of their remaining three Premier League games to secure the title. Manchester City have beaten Chelsea on all four meetings this season, including a 4-0 thrashing in the FA Cup in January.
Davido dey come watch Man City VS Chelsea match tomorrow
Man City are likely to lift EPL trophy tomorrow if they win (which is sure)😭😭
Lampard o, Kepa o, Thiago oh, say what? Say dem go feel it 😭😭
— 𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐊 (@TheMahleek) May 20, 2023
Manchester City is currently in first place with 85 points after 35 games played. Arsenal are trailing City by four points, but with only two games remaining for them, the Gunners are unlikely to catch the Citizens unless Pep Guardiola’s squad performs poorly in their remaining matches.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are in the bottom half of the table. They are at the 11th spot with just 43 points from 35 games, and the best thing they could hope for is to secure 3 victories in the remaining games to finish the season at a higher spot.
