Chelsea Team News: Conte Confirms Double Fitness Blow Ahead Of West Ham Clash

Chelsea will look to keep the pressure on the top two in the Premier League with a win when they take on West Ham at the London Stadium on Saturday.

Ahead of the game, Antonio Conte has been speaking to the media at his pre-match press conference this afternoon and he’s offered a team news and injury update.

The Blues boss confirmed that David Luiz will once again be missing as the Brazilian international is still recovering from a knee injury that’s hampered him in recent weeks.

Luiz has missed Chelsea’s last four games after suffering the injury in training and while Conte has ruled him out of the trip to the London Stadium this weekend, he still doesn’t know precisely how long the defender will be out for.

In a double blow, midfielder Danny Drinkwater has also been ruled out of the West Ham game this weekend as the 27-year-old is suffering from sickness and a fever.

Conte told reporters this afternoon:

Conte reports that David Luiz is out injured and Danny Drinkwater is unavailable due to sickness. He has to check the physical condition of a couple of other players before making a selection.

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 8, 2017

In Luiz’s prolonged absence, Andreas Christensen is expected to continue in the middle of the back three this weekend while Tiemoue Bakayoko could keep his place in midfield with Drinkwater unavailable.

Otherwise, the Blues have a strong squad to choose from as Conte looks to secure a win that would ensure third-placed Chelsea keep the pressure on the top two ahead of the Manchester derby.