Pascal Struijk update as 11 could be absent in Leeds United vs Chelsea
Pascal Struijk has been ruled out of Leeds United’s clash against Chelsea on Tuesday.
Daniel Farke‘s side will take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this week, as the Whites will aim for an ambitious three points.
Leeds are aiming to survive Premier League relegation, and are on track to do so after a dominant 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest last time out.
Chelsea are in hot form coming into the clash, with Liam Rosenior having won seven of his first nine games in charge of the club.
The Whites may have to navigate around Struijk‘s injury issue, but Chelsea also have their own problems heading into the showdown.
Anton Stach and Pascal Struijk out with Chelsea facing injury problems
Farke ruled Struijk out of the Chelsea game with a hip injury, as he also admitted that Anton Stach will most likely return against Aston Villa later in the month.
Lukas Nmecha has battled with injury this season, but made his way back to the bench against Nottingham Forest.
Jaka Bijol also made the bench against Forest, with his last appearance for Leeds coming in the 3-1 win over Derby County in the FA Cup last month.
But Chelsea are also facing their own struggles, with Reece James still currently being assessed, and plenty of others ruled out.
List of Chelsea’s potential absence’s for Leeds game:
- Levi Colwill – Ruled out
- Jamie Bynoe-Gittens – Ruled out
- Dario Luis Essugo – Ruled out
- Reece James – Being assessed
- Tosin Adarabioyo – Ruled out
- Filip Jorgensen – Being assessed
- Romeo Lavia – Ruled out
- Mykhailo Mudryk – Suspended
Ahead of the showdown, Farke was speaking to the press and confirmed the latest on Bijol and Nmecha.
Farke said, as quoted by the Yorkshire Evening Post: “Lukas [Nmecha] just had two sessions before Forest, looked sharp but didn’t want to take too much risk. Jaka [Bijol] was out for nearly three weeks, just three training days, so natural not to change too much at centre-back.
“Both are available, and they have spent more days on the training pitch. Every day helps them.”
But there is also a worry around Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin illness worry
Calvert-Lewin has been a revelation for Leeds this season, and his injury history will worry the Whites.
However, Farke has now claimed that the striker could miss the Chelsea match due to illness, but still remains hopeful of his availability.
Chelsea only know how to win in the Premier League under Rosenior, and the Whites will be hoping that their own fitness issues don’t harm them too much in this clash.
So in total, 11 players could miss this encounter, with both sides most likely set to rotate.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account – @motleedsnews