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Chelsea FC Without Several Players For United Clash, Confirms Guus Hiddink

By Ajitesh Rasgotra

MILTON KEYNES, ENGLAND - JANUARY 31: Guus Hiddink, interim manager of Chelsea looks on prior to the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Milton Keynes Dons and Chelsea at Stadium mk on January 31, 2016 in Milton Keynes, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
MILTON KEYNES, ENGLAND - JANUARY 31: Guus Hiddink, interim manager of Chelsea looks on prior to the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Milton Keynes Dons and Chelsea at Stadium mk on January 31, 2016 in Milton Keynes, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) /
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Chelsea FC will be without a number of attacking players as they welcome Manchester United to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The Blues host Manchester United this weekend in a fixture that may have lost a bit of gloss in recent times. With both teams struggling in some form or another, this clash pits fifth versus thirteenth as opposed to the usual title-affecting battle. Speaking ahead of the game, Chelsea interim boss Guus Hiddink confirmed that he may have a depleted squad to choose from.

"The players have come back in and look very fit, except for Falcao and Remy. Remy will be involved next week."

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Radamel Falcao and Loic Remy have been unavailable for as long as I can remember. Falcao’s injury history is well-documented and he has failed to improve on it since arriving from Stamford Bridge. Remy, meanwhile, appears to have been struck by several niggling issues, rendering him unavailable for frequent and significant stints.

Chelsea will therefore play with just one recognised striker in the squad, as the boss confirmed that Alexandre Pato will not be selected as he builds up his match fitness.

"[Pato] will not be in for the upcoming few games because we want to have him fit because we don’t want the risk of injury."

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It seems as though the majority of Pato’s six-month loan will be spent getting into match shape.

Another player who has been troubled by injuries thus far has been Pedro. The Spaniard was unavailable for the Watford fixture on Wednesday night and will face a late call on his availability for the United game. Hiddink is optimistic, mind.

"Pedro was not available then because of a groin injury but he trained well this morning and we will see how he reacts to it."

A somewhat reassuring fact is that none of the above players are nailed-on starters in the Blues team. As a result, there should be little initial effect on the team’s chances.

However, fixtures as highly-charged as this are often decided by an inspired substitution late in the game. Without a recognised striker on the bench, Chelsea will inevitably be hampered in this department.

There is always a silver lining, though. Many Blues fans will point out that the probability of seeing one of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Kenedy or Bertrand Traore involved has consequently increased. With any chances of doing anything in the Premier League dead, no-one can quite fathom why these youngsters have not been better utilised.

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“What about Matt Miazga?” I hear you ask. Well, I don’t know really. Hiddink didn’t mention him so you can only assume that the Pato match-fitness argument is applied here.

All quotes taken from chelseafc.com.

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