West London side Chelsea have established that their integral defender Thiago Silva picked up a knee ligament damage during Saturday’s two nill loss against Tottenham Hotspur.
Silva limped off the pitch eighteen (18) minutes after the commencement of the game during the heavyweight London Derby encounter with the Lilywhites.
The 38-year-old defender was replaced by Wesley Fofana and The Blues have released no official timeframe on when he would return from the treatment table.
However, several reports claim that Thiago Silva could be out of action for as many as six (6) weeks.
Chelsea FC statement on the injury to Thiago Silva
A statement put out by Chelsea on the revelation of his injury stated: “Having sustained a knee injury during the first half of Sunday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur, Thiago underwent further assessment and a scan on his return to the training centre on Monday.
“Scan results from those assessments have confirmed damage to Thiago’s knee ligaments and he will now work closely with the club’s medical department during his rehabilitation to return to action as soon as possible.”
During the six weeks of his absence, Thiago Silva would miss an important Champions League round of 16 second leg match with Borussia Dortmund.
And if Graham Potter’s side advances to the next round, the Brazilian defender would be a huge doubt for the quarter-finals.
In his absence, Chelsea have Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly, Trevo Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile as alternatives at center-back, although Badiashile would not be available for Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League as he wasn’t registered.
Thiago Silva could miss Chelsea’s battle with Leeds United on the 4th of March alongside Borussia Dortmund on the 7th of March.
He is also expected to miss The Blues visit to the King Power Stadium on the 11th of March, Everton clash at Stamford Bridge on the 18th of March and Aston Villa on the 1st of April.
Thiago Silva penned a new one-year contract extension with Chelsea in February and the Brazilian defender has been an important player in the Chelsea squad.
Graham Potter’s side have faced a lot of injury issues this season as they currently sit 10th on the English Premier League table.
Players out injured for Chelsea
N’Golo Kante, Christian Pulisic, Cesar Azpilicueta, Edouard Mendy, Armando Broja and Thiago Silva are all in the treatment room. However, Kante just started light training.
Chelsea would be hoping to put to an end on Saturday their six match winless streak against The Peacocks, Leeds United.
Javi Gracia sides are currently placed seventeenth (17th) on the Premier League table one point away from the relegation zone.
Nevertheless, with Chelsea’s abysmal run in 2023 picking only one win so far in the Premier League, many find it hard to tell where the pendulum would swing in this clash.
The injury to Thiago Silva would be a big miss for Chelsea as they would be without his physical presence and abilities alongside his leadership qualities and experience.
