Eden Hazard has been left home from Chelsea’s trip to Sunderland, as Antonio Conte’s side go to chase their tenth Premier League in a row.
The Belgium international picked up an unfortunate knock last weekend when Chelsea cruised into a tight 1-0 victory over West Bromwich, but could be returning to face Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.
Chelsea are set to play five games inside 22 days over the upcoming festive period and need their flying winger back in action as soon as possible. Only time will tell how serious the 25-year-old’s injury is.
According to Independent, Conte is prepared to place Branislav Ivanovic on the team sheet to cover Hazard’s absence, even though the Serbian defender hasn’t started a game for the Blues since Chelsea’s embarrassing 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in September.
Willian is more suitable to Hazard’s current role on the left, but Conte could make a decisive switch to the body of his 3-4-3 system, which widely bases on Hazard’s abilities, making room for the 31-year-old to step in.
Today the Blues have a chance to extend their lead on top of the league to six points after Arsenal were defeated 2-1 by Everton last night.
