Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has revealed that Brazilian winger Estevao Willian will miss the trip to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal on Sunday.
The 18-year-old, who joined Chelsea for £29m last summer, was absent from last week’s meeting with Burnley after sustaining a hamstring problem in training. He missed the 1-1 draw as a precaution, with Liam Rosenior describing the issue as ‘nothing too serious’.
The Brazilian international is understood to have undergone scans shortly after the Burnley fixture.
However, he was not spotted in training this week, and the Chelsea boss confirmed in his pre-match press conference that the winger will not feature when the Blues travel across the capital on Sunday.
Marc Cucurella has been sidelined with a hamstring problem that forced him off at half-time during the 2-2 draw with Leeds earlier this month.
He has not featured since and, despite positive progress, will not be available to face Arsenal.
‘Unfortunately, Estevao will be out for a little longer.’
‘Cucurella is progressing really well. He’s not available for Sunday, but hopefully we get him back soon.’
James boost
There was better news elsewhere, with Rosenior confirming that Reece James is fully fit, while Romeo Lavia came through a practice match during the week without any issues as he continues to build up his sharpness.
‘Reece is absolutely fine,’ Rosenior added. ‘Romeo is getting stronger and stronger.
‘We had a mini practice match in the week, where he looked really good, which is great for him.’
With Wesley Fofana suspended, Rosenior will have to make at least one alteration at the heart of his defence.
Mamadou Sarr, Josh Acheampong, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Benoit Badiashile are all pushing to come into the Chelsea starting XI against Arsenal.
Jorrel Hato could also be drafted in at left-back in place of Malo Gusto, and those may prove to be the only changes to the side.
Chelsea head into the clash against Arsenal with the hope of ending a poor run of form against their London rivals, as they’ve failed to win any of their last eight games in the Premier League against the Gunners.
However, in a boost to the Club World Cup champions, the Blues have won their last two away league games since Liam Rosenior’s appointment, and the manager will hope to match Tim Sherwood’s record as the only English manager to win his first three away games.
