Chelsea players were dropping like flies during the international break and Frank Lampard will be without several key men when the Blues welcome Newcastle to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The break from domestic action came with Chelsea on the back of four straight victories in all competitions and they will look to continue that momentum when the Premier League returns this weekend.
But they have been dealt a huge blow, with star man N’Golo Kante among a cluster of important players likely to miss the clash.
The Frenchman, who has struggled with injury since the end of last season, withdrew from the France squad last Friday after tweaking his groin in the warm-up to their Euro qualifier against Iceland.
And his most natural replacement, Mateo Kovacic, is also a doubt for the Newcastle fixture after suffering a leg injury during the first-half of Croatia’s 1-1 draw with Wales, although the midfielder has returned to training.
In defence, the Blues look set to rely on Fikayo Tomori and Kurt Zouma, with Antonio Rudiger still out and Andreas Christensen injuring his hamstring during Denmark duty.
And to top it all off, full-back Reece James, only recently back from a long-term lay-off, dropped out of the England Under-21 squad due to injury.
None of the injuries are thought to be serious, but Kante, Kovacic, Christensen and James are all considered major doubts for the visit of Newcastle.
In more positive news, Rudiger and Emerson Palmieri could both return for the Ajax game on Wednesday, but this weekend’s clash is thought to come too soon for the pair.
For the away side, Steve Bruce could have a nearly fully fit squad with the Magpies only without Matt Ritchie, who is recovering from an operation, and Florian Lejeune.
Predicted line-ups
Chelsea: 4-3-3
Newcastle: 5-4-1
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