Chelsea injury news: Two key defenders ruled out of Tottenham clash

Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Thiago Silva and Axel Disasi have both been ruled out of Thursday's Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur.

It is a setback that inflates Chelsea's already bloated injury list to 14 players, half of which are defenders. Both had been involved in last weekend's 2-2 comeback draw against Aston Villa.

Disasi replaced Silva in that game when the veteran Brazilian, who has announced his impending departure from the club, couldn't continue but also succumbed to injury himself.

"It's not good news because we cannot recover any players in the last week. Only we need to add two more players, Thiago and Disasi. They will not be available for tomorrow [against Spurs]," Pochettino said at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

Chelsea were playing with a patched up back four as it was at Villa Park, with Trevoh Chalobah filling in at right-back due to Malo Gusto unavailable and Reece James out since December.

It could mean another opportunity for 20-year-old academy graduate Alfie Gilchrist, who is a centre-back by trade but has played on the right several times in recent months. But his only Premier League start to date was the 5-0 mauling at the hands of Arsenal a week ago.

With Pochettino unable to fill a bench with first-team players against Villa, Gilchrist and other youngsters like Josh Acheampong, Kiano Dyer and Tyrique George were all part of the matchday squad and are expected to stay in the fold.

"It is a great opportunity for some kids to be on the bench and to have the possibility maybe to play," the boss explained. "When this opportunity appears, it is about being conscious and saying: 'Come on, step up'. And then it is about the kids saying: 'We are here and we want to be there, we want to play for the first team of Chelsea'."

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