Chelsea trio Alvaro Morata, David Luiz and Willian ruled out of Bournemouth clash

Missing out: Alvaro Morata
Getty Images
Vaishali Bhardwaj30 January 2018

Chelsea will be without three key players for the visit of Bournmeouth on Wednesday, with Alvaro Morata, David Luiz and Willian all sidelined with injury although Thibaut Courtois and Cesc Fabregas are fully fit again.

Morata has been missing from action for the past three games, first due to a suspension against Brighton, and then because of a back injury which meant he missed the EFL Cup semi-final second leg tie against Arsenal and the FA Cup fourth-round clash with Newcastle on Sunday.

The striker still hasn't recovered, and will now miss Chelsea's Premier League match at home to Bournemouth in midweek along with Willian (hamstring) and David Luiz.

The Brazilian defender took a kick to his ankle during training last week and, although he is recovering well, will not be available for selection on Wednesday.

However, Antonio Conte will welcome back goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois from an ankle issue and Cesc Fabregas from a hamstring injury.

Courtois is expected to slot straight back into Conte's starting line-up despite Willy Caballero having done well in the Blues' last four games.

Meanwhile, Michy Batshuayi - whose future at Chelsea remains unclear due to the club's search for another striker in this transfer window - is in contention to play.

Chelsea's move for Roma forward Edin Dzeko has collapsed, with Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud having since been linked with a transfer to the Premier League champions.

Should Chelsea sign a striker before the close of the window on Wednesday night, Batshuayi will be allowed to leave on loan although Conte insists he is in the right frame of mind to play against Bournemouth.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Conte said: "Yes, he's in contention for tomorrow's game.

"I don't know [if he's going]. But now he's a Chelsea player. For this reason, he's in contention for tomorrow's game.

"Also, because I have Morata injured and I don't have other options. Especially as Willian is also injured. Hazard can play No.9, so I'd need to find another No.10."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in