Thiago Silva amongst key Chelsea quartet expected to miss Southampton clash

No fewer than four important members of Chelsea’s first-team squad are set to sit out the club’s meeting with Southampton, it is understood.

Graham Potter’s troops, of course, are currently in the process of putting the finishing touches on preparations for the weekend’s Premier League action.

After slipping to another alarming defeat at the hands of Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League in midweek, the Blues will welcome relegation-battling Southampton to Stamford Bridge, in the knowledge that nothing but a three-point haul will suffice.

In turn, it will no doubt come as a major source of concern for the club’s supporter base to hear that no fewer than four members of Potter’s playing squad are expected to miss out on Saturday afternoon.

In something of a bombshell across social media late this evening, Blues insider Sam_c345 - widely regarded as reliable when it comes to team news - first revealed that both Marc Cucurella and Hakim Ziyech are in line to miss out tomorrow:

And joining the under-fire pair in sitting out against Southampton will be star right-back Reece James:

Not only that, but fellow defender Thiago Silva is too expected to be absent, ahead of a major shuffling of the pack at Stamford Bridge:

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