10 set to miss Carabao Cup clash

As we prepare for the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Middlesbrough, we have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that we still have a long list of injured players, with eight confirmed absentees and Jackson away for the African Cup of Nations. That makes nine players unavailable for this crucial match.

The good news is that Chilwell, Chalobah, Badiashile and Chukwuemeka are back in full training. They have missed most of the season due to injuries, but they are now ready to contribute. However, Chalobah might not be fit enough to play tomorrow.

The club website has confirmed that Cucurella, Gusto, James, Fofana, Lavia, Sanchez, Ugochukwu and Nkunku will not feature in the cup tie. They are all undergoing their rehabilitation programmes and we hope to see them back soon.

Lavia has only played for Chelsea for 30 minutes before getting injured. Ugochukwu also picked up an injury in the Wolves game on Christmas Eve.

One unexpected name on the injury list is Malo Gusto. We have not heard much about his condition since the winter break, but he has been absent from the training sessions.

Nkunku was expected to return before the winter break, according to reports from France, but he is still recovering from his injury.

We will miss Jackson, who is representing his country at the African Cup of Nations. He could be away for a while, depending on how far his team goes.

We will hear more from Pochettino in about an hour.