Chelsea will hope to quickly banish memories of their late collapse against Arsenal when they face another London derby with Brentford this weekend.
The Blues led Mikel Arteta's title contenders 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening courtesy of goals from Cole Palmer and Mykhailo Mudryk, but were denied a statement victory for Mauricio Pochettino after Robert Sanchez's error allowed Declan Rice to reduce the deficit ahead of a deft back-post equaliser from Leandro Trossard.
Pochettino rightly lamented two key points dropped from his resurgent side as they pursued a fourth consecutive victory across all competitions, but they must swiftly move on from the disappointment as they prepare to host west London rivals Brentford next before a Carabao Cup last-16 clash with Championship side Blackburn.
The Blues have a number of injury issues that persist ahead of a busy run-up to the festive period, an all too familiar situation at the Bridge over recent years.
Romeo Lavia
Chelsea fans have yet to see one of their headline summer recruits in action after he suffered an ankle injury during an early training session at Cobham back in September.
There were initial fears that Lavia could miss more than six weeks and was likely looking at a November return.
However, it remains to be seen if even that will be possible now with Pochettino confirming before the most recent international break that the former Southampton standout was still not able to run.
"Romeo still is not running, so I cannot tell you," he said. "After the international break he is still not going to be ready."
Potential return date: December 2023
Christopher Nkunku
Speaking of high-profile new Chelsea signings who quickly fell foul of injury, Nkunku made a promising start in pre-season following his PS52million switch from RB Leipzig before sustaining a knee injury against Borussia Dortmund that required surgery.
The French international is evidently keen to get back on track at Stamford Bridge and has posted several videos on social media in recent weeks in which he can be seen doing lots of gym work and kicking a ball - albeit in an indoor setting.
Chelsea have not set an exact timetable for Nkunku's competitive debut as things stand, but it seems likely at this stage to be early in the New Year.
Potential return date: January 2024
Christopher Nkunku is working hard to be in position for his competitive Chelsea debut
Ben Chilwell
Chelsea's vice-captain suffered a third hamstring injury in the space of a year in the Carabao Cup win over Brighton last month.
The England left-back was slated to miss at least two months as a result of his latest setback, caused during a collision with former Blues midfielder Billy Gilmour.
Pochettino refused to put a time frame on his potential return, but it seems likely to be mid-December at the earliest.
Potential return date: Mid-December 2023
Armando Broja
The Albanian striker had been back in the thick of the action of late after returning from a serious ACL injury suffered last December, scoring in the west London derby win over Fulham.
However, he was subbed off at half-time in the 4-1 victory at Burnley before the international break with what Pochettino described as irritation in his knee - but crucially not the same one that he injured last year.
Broja was absent completely from the draw with Arsenal but it does not sound like he will be out too much longer, so maybe he could feature against Brentford or Blackburn.
Potential return date: November 1 2023, vs Blackburn
Trevoh Chalobah
Chalobah has yet to play for Chelsea this season after being heavily linked with a summer exit and is widely expected to depart the club in January.
The Blues announced last week that the academy graduate defender had suffered a setback in his bid to recover from a thigh injury sustained in August.
It remains to be seen when Chalobah will be available again, but he may well have played his last game for Chelsea already.
Potential return date: December 2023
Trevoh Chalobah is expected to leave Chelsea for pastures new in the January window
Carney Chukwuemeka
Like Chalobah, Chelsea confirmed last week that Chukwuemeka had suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee problem.
The former Aston Villa starlet has been restricted to just two appearances so far this term, starting on opening weekend against Liverpool before being forced off at half-time in the defeat by West Ham seven days later.
He hasn't played since and like Chalobah is now being further reviewed and continuing his rehab at Cobham, with a return date unclear.
Potential return date: December 2023
Wesley Fofana
The desperately unlucky Fofana suffered another serious injury in July, undergoing ACL surgery.
The French centre-back is facing several more months of rehab and may not play at all this season.
Potential return date: Summer 2024
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