Chelsea have confirmed Thiago Silva has suffered damage to his knee ligaments, with the defender set to miss crucial matches against Leeds United and Borussia Dortmund this coming week.
The 38-year-old was injured during the first half of Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday as the club’s miserable run of form under manager Graham Potter continued.
Potter is set to be given time by the club’s owners but that could change depending on the outcome of Chelsea’s next two home matches, against Leeds in the Premier League and Dortmund in the second-leg of their Champions League tie.
Chelsea trail Dortmund after losing the first leg 1-0 in Germany and with the Blues out of both domestic cup competitions and languishing in midtable in the Premier League, their season hinges on the outcome of the tie.
Although Silva has avoided serious injury, the Brazilian - who has been Chelsea’s player of the season - is set to be out for several weeks in what is a significant blow to Potter ahead of a crucial spell.
A Chelsea statement said: “Having sustained a knee injury during the first half of Sunday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur, Thiago underwent further assessment and a scan on his return to the training centre on Monday.
Scan results from those assessments have confirmed damage to Thiago’s knee ligaments and he will now work closely with the club’s medical department during his rehabilitation to return to action as soon as possible.”
Silva was replaced by Wesley Fofana in the defeat at Spurs, who played alongside Kalidou Koulibaly in central defence. Benoit Badiashile, who was one of Chelsea’s January signings, is unavailable to play against Dortmund as he was not added to the club’s Champions League squad.
Silva signed a new one-year contract with Chelsea earlier this month to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge until the summer of 2024.
