Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso picked up an ankle injury in the last minute of their Champions League win against Malmo in midweek. — Reuters Hannah Mckay pic
LONDON, Nov 6 – Chelsea wing back Marcos Alonso will miss today’s home game against Burnley through injury while midfielder Mason Mount could feature after recovering from illness, manager Thomas Tuchel said yesterday.
Alonso, who picked up an ankle injury in the last minute of their Champions League win against Malmo in midweek, adds to an already lengthy injury list that includes forwards Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner, as well as midfielder Mateo Kovacic.
“He (Alonso) tried to come out now for training but the stress is too high on the ankle, it’s too painful. It’s nothing big but too painful at the moment so he will not be in the squad tomorrow,” said Tuchel.
Asked about 22-year-old England international Mount, the German said: “It’s a tricky one. Mason was ill but the reason was his wisdom tooth… he was back in training and lost a bit of weight as he couldn’t eat properly.
“He can play some minutes, but we will need to wait for the reaction because it seems proper treatment has to be done,” added Tuchel, casting doubt over his participation in England’s World Cup qualifiers with Albania and San Marino this month.
Chelsea are three points clear at the top of the Premier League but Tuchel said Burnley, who are in the relegation zone, would be a stern test despite their woeful start to the season.
“We expect a tough match, a tough opponent that is short on points but not short on performance. Burnley play a strong and intense game, they have a courageous approach – they played at Manchester City with high intense pressing,” he said referring to Burnley’s 2-0 at defeat at the Etihad on October 16.
“So we need to be at our best level to come up with solutions and match the intensity they bring into the games. Like I said, we demand a lot from ourselves but it’s necessary we bring all this to the pitch.”
Chelsea have 25 points from 10 games while Burnley are in 18th place on seven points. – Reuters