Chelsea have been dealt another blow with defender Benoit Bashiadile set to miss the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool on Sunday week after picking up a groin injury in last week’s FA Cup replay win away to Aston Villa.
The French centre half could miss up to a month of action, beginning with tonight’s Premier League game away to Crystal Palace.
And that could pave the way for Thiago Silva to return having been dropped by head coach Mauricio Pochettino for the midweek Villa victory.
Badiashile and Axel Disasi started that Cup win and looked secure, while Silva and Pochettino reportedly held clear the air talks after the Brazilian veteran’s wife appeared to call for the manager to be sacked following the brutal loss against Wolves eight days ago.
Levi Colwill is available again, while Trevoh Chalobah is fit but questions remain over his future at the club.
Pochettino will meet Roy Hodgson this evening in a battle of managers under pressure and speaking ahead of the game at Selhurst Park, the former said he is not naive to the demands of the job.
“In football sometimes you win a game and people send a text congratulations and you lose a game and they want to commiserate you because I feel so sorry,” Pochettino said.
“But we are professional and we understand the situation and we know football, the experiences, and we don’t need to send a text when you lose or need to win a game since a period like this. We know each other and how we need to act and behave. People know when you feel the support or not.”
And he then praised Hodgson, who is teetering on the brink of being sacked by Palace following a dismal run of form. The Argentine added: “”That is part of the game, it is football. He has the experience to manage every situation.
“It will be good to see him and for sure we will share a very nice time there. From the beginning when I arrived at Southampton he was the coach of the national team and he was always there watching games and sharing time with us and we created a very good relationship.
“From the first moment the feeling was very good between us. And that is why it is difficult to explain feelings. Sometimes you meet some guy and you say ‘ok I won’t see him anymore’. With him it was very good.
