Chelsea may feel it was a missed opportunity to get one over Manchester United in the Carabao Cup yesterday but being knocked out of the competition could be a blessing in disguise considering the club’s injury situation.

The Blues currently have seven players on the treatment table, and it remains to be seen if any will be back in contention for the game against Watford on Saturday evening.

Emerson Palmieri (hamstring), Antonio Rudiger (groin), Ross Barkley (ankle) Andreas Christensen (hamstring) are all doubts while N’Golo Kante has been ruled out, although Lampard did have some good news on the Frenchman’s fitness. Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Achilles) and Marco Van Ginkel (knee) are also unavailable.

Watford are still winless in the Premier League this campaign, and Quique Sanchez Flores’s side remain rooted to the bottom of the table. They also have a long list of injuries.

Danny Welbeck has been ruled out for two to three months with a hamstring injury, while Troy Deeney (knee) and Domingos Quina (groin) are also out of contention.

Tom Cleverley (calf), Ismail Sarr (leg) and Isaac Success (groin) are all major doubts, with only Etienne Capoue potentially back available after a back problem.

The bookmakers have made Chelsea the favourites with Unibet pricing them at 13/20 for the win. A draw is 100/30 with Betway while a victory for Watford is 17/4 at BetVictor.

Predicted Score – 3-0 to Chelsea