Chelsea head coach Graham Potter has indicated that Reece James and Mason Mount will miss Saturday's clash with Leeds United.
On the back of three successive defeats, Potter is under pressure to change the Blues' fortunes in the short term, starting with the Premier League showdown with one of the club's fierce rivals.
Chelsea will begin the game in 10th position, as they have done in the past two matches, but the West Londoners now sit 14 points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the standings.
With the second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie with Borussia Dortmund to come on Tuesday, Potter will naturally have to take both games into consideration before selecting a team to face the Yorkshire giants.
However, it appears highly likely that each of James and Mount will be sidelined for the fixture at Stamford Bridge and are doubts for the following meeting with Dortmund.
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Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Potter revealed that James was suffering with tightness in his hamstring, describing the right-back as "a doubt".
With Cesar Azpilicueta also being deemed unavailable as he serves concussion protocals, Trevoh Chalobah appears in line to deputise at full-back.
While Potter left the door open for James to play some part of the game, the Englishman ruled Mount out due to an issue with his lower abdomen.
Although Potter suggested that the problem should not keep Mount out in the long term, it appears unlikely that he will come back into contention in time for the Dortmund encounter.
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In further injury updates, Potter confirmed reports that Thiago Silva is expected to be absent until the middle of April with a knee ligament injury.
There was better news for the club's supporters with N'Golo Kante completing his first full training session on Friday having not played a competitive fixture since August.
Nevertheless, the midfielder will not be considered for Saturday's contest, instead being provided with several more days to prove his fitness ahead of potentially being named on the substitutes' bench versus Dortmund.
In reference to Edouard Mendy's fractured finger, Potter said that the goalkeeper was "making progress", amid reports that he faced a further two weeks before being able to step up his recovery.
Darren Plant
