Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Moises Caicedo did pick up a knock in the 2-0 win over Fulham on Monday night.
The Ecuadorian international was clutching his left leg after a collision with Willian late on in the game at Craven Cottage and, asked about the issue following the final whistle, Pochettino said:
“Caicedo was a contusion but also hopefully it’s nothing wrong. He was tired, but it was a contusion.”
Mykhailo Mudryk was taken off at half-time against the Cottagers, with Ian Maatsen coming on as his replacement for the second 45. Pochettino revealed that the Ukrainian had pain in his quadricep muscle:
“I hope with Mykhailo it’s not a big issue because he felt something in the first half. I hope it is nothing and he’ll be available for Saturday. It’s something in his quad in the first half. He didn’t feel comfortable playing.”
When interviewed after the match, Mudryk said that he felt “okay”, but the 22-year-old remains a doubt for this weekend’s fixture versus Burnley.
Armando Broja was also forced off midway through the second half but Pochettino claimed the decision to substitute the Albanian international was simply a “precaution”, with it being assumed that the striker was suffering from cramp. It was his first start for nearly a year, having been sidelined with an ACL injury.
An update on the fitness of 6 other Chelsea players
Carney Chukwuemeka is closing in on a return to full training. The midfielder has been sidelined since August after sustaining a knee injury in the defeat to West Ham.
Reece James (hamstring) is also set to be back in contention in the near future, although the Burnley game on Saturday is likely to come too soon. The captain could feature against Arsenal after the international break.
Romeo Lavia (ankle) and Ben Chilwell (hamstring) are still a number of weeks away from playing, while Christopher Nkunku (knee) and Wesley Fofana (ACL) are long-term absentees.
