Chelsea’s injury list is beginning to stack up once again after Marc Cucurella became the latest player to head to the treatment room at Stamford Bridge.
The Spanish full-back was not in the squad at all for Wednesday night’s west London derby clash with Brentford, despite starting Chelsea’s last game against Real Madrid as Ben Chilwell served his Champions League suspension.
Interim boss Frank Lampard confirmed before the game that Cucurella was injured rather than dropped, joining Reece James and Mason Mount on the sidelines.
Right-back James will miss the rest of the campaign with a hamstring issue sustained in the quarter-final second-leg defeat by Madrid, likewise Mount as he awaits surgery on a persistent pelvic problem.
Chelsea are also without Kalidou Koulibaly (hamstring) and top scorer Kai Havertz (knee) at present, as well as long-term absentee Armando Broja (knee).
“We’ve had some issues,” Lampard said ahead of a fifth straight loss against Brentford. “We’ve lost Mason, now we’ve lost Cucurella in the short-term as well.”
Offering a further update after the game, the Blues legend confirmed that Cucurella would miss several weeks as the result of a thigh problem sustained at Cobham on Monday.
Third-choice goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli is also now out with an unspecified injury, taking Chelsea’s list of total absentees to seven ahead of a London derby with leaders Arsenal next week.
“Cucurella is injured. He injured himself in training two days ago,” Lampard said. “He will be out for a few weeks with a quad injury. Bettinelli injured, recovering. The others, not in the squad.”
