Amid all the noise surrounding the appointment of Xabi Alonso, Calum McFarlane still has a job to do with Chelsea’s chances of European qualification improving over the weekend.
Chelsea host Tottenham on Tuesday night with Spurs still in a relegation fight alongside West Ham in the race to avoid 18th place. West Ham’s defeat to Newcastle on Sunday has left Spurs in the driving seat.
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Now, Chelsea host Spurs at Stamford Bridge having lost the FA Cup final, but with restored optimism after the appointment of Alonso. Europe is also back on the table after Sunday’s results, which suited the Blues.
Everton, Brentford, Brighton and Fulham all dropped points on Sunday and a Chelsea win against Spurs will see McFarlane’s side climb into eighth, enough for the Conference League. But who is sidelined?
Calum McFarlane’s injury update ahead of Tottenham clash
Even if Chelsea’s chances of qualifying for Europe via the league has improved, it relies on the Blues ending a winless run of seven Premier League games if they are to secure Europe for Alonso next term.
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Chelsea will be without Estevao and Jamie Gittens, who are both still recovering from hamstring injuries, while teenager Jesse Derry is expected to remain sidelined for the rest of the season after his head injury.
Calum McFarlane delivered an update on the status of the squad during Monday’s press conference, with Levi Colwill coming through another 90 minutes and Reece James lasting 83 minutes at Wembley.
McFarlane said Chelsea need to be careful with defender Colwill given his load in recent games and his injury history. The interim manager also confirmed that Romeo Lavia took a knock ahead of the final.
“No, they’re going to train this afternoon and we’ll have a much better idea of where they are. We will train later on and see how they report back. We will have a much better idea of where they are.”
Asked about Colwill’s fitness, McFarlane said: “We need to be careful with Levi, he’s come off the back of a big injury. We will see how he reports back and trains, but you’re right, we need to be careful with Levi.”
“Romeo took a slight knock in the build-up, but with Romeo I didn’t want to take the risk. We have to be careful with players with an injury history. Benoit Badiashile and Mamadou Sarr didn’t make the squad.
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Brighton and Everton were both beaten on the weekend, while Brentford and Fulham could only draw. It has opened a window for Chelsea. A win takes them into eighth, going into the final game at Sunderland.
If Chelsea do beat Spurs tomorrow night, it takes them to 52 points and the possibility of leapfrogging the likes of Bournemouth and Brighton into sixth. Especially given they face two tricky final-day fixtures.
Indeed, Brighton take on Manchester United while Liverpool host Brentford. There is a world in which Chelsea beat both Spurs and Sunderland, and that is enough to guide them into sixth place on Sunday.
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