Chelsea defeated Swedish opposition Malmö in the Champions League on Wednesday 4-0 in the pouring London rain but suffered a pair of injuries as Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner both left the game early. The Lukaku and Werner injuries took place in the first half.
Lukaku was substituted out after his ankle was caught in a challenge by a Malmö defender. Later on, Werner was sprinting for a ball over the top and pulled up grabbing at his hamstring.
Romelu Lukaku comes off in the 23' minute with an injury against Malmo. pic.twitter.com/W9JGLoU8dV
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Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel gave updates on the Lukaku and Werner injuries after the game.
“We have a twist of the ankle for Romelu and a muscle injury and hamstring for Timo,” Tuchel said after the match. “They will be out for some days.”
"It always bothers me (losing players to injury). Normally we are in a good place injury wise, we had only Christian Pulisic out. We have a lot of games to play, a lot of competitions. We have to deal with it and find solutions. No excuses accepted."
"We have a twist of the ankle for Romelu, and a muscle injury and hamstring for Timo."
"They will be some days out I guess."Thomas Tuchel provides an injury update on Chelsea's attacking duo, as well as reacting to his side's comfortable win over Malmo...
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"The next game will be tight!"
Chelsea cruised to a 4-0 win against Malmo, but it came at a cost with both Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner coming off injured.Thomas Tuchel offers an early injury update.
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Lukaku and Werner will join Christian Pulisic on the Blues’ injury list. Tuchel provided an update on Pulisic’s injury earlier in the week. The American star has been suffering setbacks with his left ankle that he hurt in early September against Honduras.
Tuchel initially said that Pulisic would only miss 10 days due to the injury. That statement was made on Sept. 10. It’s likely Pulisic won’t partake in the upcoming USMNT World Cup qualifying window as he continues his return to full health.
Chelsea’s Champions League victory against Malmö must have been tough to watch for Pulisic. The Blues dominated the Swedish side from start to finish and needed extra forwards to step in after the Lukaku and Werner injuries. If Pulisic wasn’t out injured he undoubtedly would have featured in the game.
Pulisic is the leading American scorer in the Champions League, and you would've bet on him to score against a side like Malmö. It’s unclear if he will be able to play the Blue’s second game against Malmö in two weeks.
Top American scorers in Champions League history:
⚽️5⃣ Christian Pulišić
⚽️4⃣ DaMarcus Beasley
⚽️2⃣ Fabian Johnson
⚽️2⃣ Jermaine Jones
⚽️2⃣ Weston McKennie#UCL pic.twitter.com/P3ptuyOGSb— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 27, 2021
Chelsea’s upcoming schedule looks like this:
- Oct. 23 vs. Norwich
- Oct. 26 vs. Southampton (Carabao Cup Round of 16)
- Oct. 30 @ Newcastle
- Nov. 2 @ Malmö
- Nov. 6 vs. Burnley
