Chelsea's injury situation is still far from ideal, despite issues off the pitch not being reciprocated on it, as evidenced by the Wolves Premier League victory over the weekend.
The Blues are unbeaten in the last four, winning the previous three at the start of the Graham Potter era after a manager-less Wolves. Diego Costa succumbed to a dominant force in the form of the West Londoners, who now sit fourth in the current standing heading into Sunday's fixtures.
Goals from Kai Havertz, Mason Mount and Armando Broja stole the headlines in the end, but much confusion was caused pre-match by some of the line-up selections, with seven changes in total made.
Potter explained these post-match with reasons such as injury/fitness concerns and illnesses. With this in mind, football.london brings you all the injury news after the weekend and ahead of the big AC Milan clash next week in the UEFA Champions League.
READ MORE: Graham Potter explains Thiago Silva Chelsea absence and why Reece James, Raheem Sterling rested
Thiago Silva
The defender was a surprise absentee from the squad, despite not having picked up a noticeable injury during the full 90 minutes he played midweek against his former side.
However, Potter explained post-match that the 38-year-old played through that affair with an illness that had obviously got slightly worse ahead of Saturday's victory.
What Potter said: "Thiago [Silva] had a heavy cold at the start of the week but played against Milan. Two days to recover is really short for him, so we didn't want to take the chance there.
Expected return date: AC Milan (A), October 11
Reece James
The right-back came on as a second-half substitute as the Three Lions international was replaced in the starting XI by Cesar Azpilicueta, but there was a certain reason for that, as the manager revealed post-match.
What Potter said: "Reece James had a dead leg that wasn't fully recovered yesterday, so we wanted to give him a bit of extra time and use him at the back end of the game rather than the start.
Expected return date: AC Milan (A), October 11
Ben Chilwell
Another name absent from the starting line-up for Wolves was the left-back who impressed like many others did against AC Milan.
But with his ACL injury still in mind, Potter didn't want to risk any silly injuries when he had Marc Cucurella fit and available for this one.
What Potter said: "Ben Chilwell playing three games in a week after recovering from an ACL injury. That wouldn't have been the smartest thing to do to put him out there, especially when we've got Marc Cucurella."
Expected return date: AC Milan (A), October 11
Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Both players were rested at the expense of Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz, respectively, as Potter wanted to rest his unused big hitters for the crucial midweek trip to Italy.
What Potter said: "Raheem [Sterling] has had a load of football this season, so we thought it would be good for him to have a breather and help us at the back end of the game if we needed him. It's similar with Auba [Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang]. Even though he is in a great moment and forwards rely on rhythm, he hasn't had that much football previous to coming to Chelsea and has had an injury.
"It felt like today was a good chance to give him a breather, and if we needed him at the back end of the game, we could've used him. That was the thinking process."
Expected return date: AC Milan (A), October 11
Wesley Fofana
According to French news outlet L'Equipe, Fofana suffered a sprained knee and is set to miss up to four weeks of action. Daily Telegraph journalist Matt Law has also confirmed the news that the French centre-back will be fit again before the 2022 World Cup in November.
What Potter said: "Obviously, we missed Wesley [Fofana] and Mateo Kovacic, three games in a week for him would've been too much as he has been nursing a knee problem."
Expected return date: November 2022
N'Golo Kante
Kante is back in full Chelsea training. Didier Deschamps left the 31-year-old out of his France squad for fixtures against Austria and Denmark over the course of the international break, allowing time for him to work on his fitness. However, he is still not match-ready after missing the game against Milan.
What Potter said: "NG is training more and more. Not fully, but getting closer. That is really positive. That's about it, I think."
Expected return date: Unknown
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