Mauricio Pochettino confirms two injury absentees for Crystal Palace match

Mauricio Pochettino has ruled Enzo Fernandez and Lesley Ugochukwu out Crystal Palace's visit to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.

 The Blues could be without as many as 11 players through injury and suspension for the London derby.

Moises Caicedo is the only player who could return, having suffered a fever and missing 2-1 defeat away at Wolves on Christmas Eve

Asked about the status of his three injured midfielders, Pochettino said: "No, Enzo, no. But Mo, hopefully, yes. But he has a high fever.

"I hope that tomorrow he can train a little bit and be ready for Palace.

With Lesley, we will assess him but I think he felt his hamstring again. I said in the press conference it is important how we reintroduce players, but we were forced because of the problem with Moises to play Lesley.

Enzo Fernandez will not be fit to face Crystal Palace

It’s a difficult situation because now he’s a player we’re going to miss, we hope not for too much (time). We need all of the players

No team has lost more than the 19 games Chelsea have lost in 2023, with Pochettino struggling to pick his team back up after a difficult last season.

The Blues boss has, however, had at least eight players out for every match this season.

It is a fact not lost on the struggling manager, who added: “Yes, I think that it’s really frustrating; the disappointment is there. We are working really hard, I promise. "We all work so hard; the medical staff and the performance staff are working really hard to try and anticipate and avoid these types of problems. But sometimes it’s a sacrifice; sometimes it’s bad luck. 

 "Sometimes situations aren’t the same for a 19 or 20-year-old guy arriving from France, like in Lesley’s case, but we expect him to play and perform for Chelsea in the Premier League. 

That’s why it’s important not to put too much pressure on, but it’s something we need to think about in the future." "It’s not about a lack of discipline, it’s about having the ability to read the situation of the game" Mauricio Pochettino He added: "When we have all of the players fit is the moment when we will find the right balance.

 At the moment we are trying to compensate as we always have eight, ten, twelve players out, so we have to adapt to find the balance and find solutions." He also denied Chelsea lack discipline after picking up 56 yellow cards, with Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling the latest to get a one-match ban for accumulating five bookings. 

 "No," he affirmed. "It’s representative of the fact that we play for Chelsea, we are a big club and you feel the pressure. When you are frustrated and lack a bit of experience, it’s somewhere we can improve. "It’s Palmer’s first season in the Premier League and it is normal. He is playing for Chelsea. 

Of course, it’s frustrating. But the players care, the players want to win. It’s not about a lack of discipline, it’s about having the ability to read the situation of the game."