Chelsea's injury woes have worsened with captain Thiago Silva set to miss six weeks after damaging his knee ligaments in his side's 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Silva, 38, signed a new one-year contract with Graham Potter's side earlier this month. The Brazil defender has been an important figure in Chelsea's struggling side and adds to a long list of players sidelined by injury.
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Chelsea said in a statement released on Tuesday: "Having sustained a knee injury during the first half of Sunday's match against Tottenham Hotspur, Thiago underwent further assessment and a scan on his return to the training centre on Monday.
"Scan results from those assessments have confirmed damage to Thiago's knee ligaments and he will now work closely with the club's medical department during his rehabilitation to return to action as soon as possible."
Injury issues have been one of a number of issues for Chelsea this season as they sit 10th in the Premier League table. Silva joins Christian Pulisic, N'Golo Kante, Cesar Azpilicueta, Edouard Mendy and Armando Broja out injured.
Chelsea look to end their six match winless run against relegation-threatened Leeds United on Saturday.