Frank Lampard confirms injury blow for key defender ahead of Grimsby Town clash

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has acknowledged that Emerson could be sidelined for a while after picking up a fresh thigh injury during the recent Premier League clash against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

The Italy international had skipped the first two games after the international break with a thigh injury picked up on international duty but he managed to make his comeback in the left-back spot against the Reds.

However, he could manage just 15 minutes on his return after he suffered a reoccurrence of the thigh problem, which had kept him out of action earlier in the month.

Speaking ahead of the League Cup third round tie against Grimsby Town, Lampard provided an injury update on both Andreas Christensen and Emerson, who had picked up injuries over the weekend.

Christensen suffered a knee injury against the Reds before the interval but it appears that the setback is not serious and he could return to the mix before the international break.

The same does not appear the case with Emerson, however, with Lampard stating that the defender would require at least three weeks to recover from the fresh thigh concern.

“Andreas is not too severe. Hopefully he won’t be out for too long but I can’t give a timeframe. Emerson now won’t be back until the other side of the international break [which is during mid-October]. It will be a few weeks because it is the reoccurrence of an injury so we have to be a bit careful with it,” he was quoted as saying by the club’s official website.

Lampard is expected to ring in the changes for the Cup tie against Grimsby and the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James will make their return to first-team football after stepping up their fitness with the development squad.

Chelsea are yet to win a home game under the guidance of Frank Lampard this season but they have the opportunity to put the unwanted record to bed against their League Two counterparts.