The six Chelsea players Mauricio Pochettino will be without for Premier League opener vs Liverpool

Mauricio Pochettino will be without six players for Chelsea’s Premier League clash against Liverpool, the club have confirmed.

After an unbeaten pre-season, Chelsea‘s 2023/24 campaign gets underway on Sunday as they welcome Liverpool to Stamford Bridge.

Pochettino will be tasked with naming his first matchday squad of the season, with the likes of Levi Colwill, Ian Maatsen and Carney Chukwuemeka all impressing in pre-season ahead of the new season.

Reece James is the new captain of Chelsea and will lead his side out in the capital this weekend, but Pochettino won’t have the opportunity to select six of his players following a club injury update.

Marcus Bettinelli, Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Christopher Nkunku and Armando Broja will be unavailable for selection.

An updated list from the club read:

• Marcus Bettinelli – continuing to undergo his rehabilitation programme.
• Benoit Badiashile – at the end stages of his rehabilitation programme.
• Trevoh Chalobah – in the process of reconditioning to return to team training.
• Wesley Fofana – continuing with the early rehabilitation stages following surgery.
• Christopher Nkunku – recovering well post-surgery and starting rehabilitation.
• Armando Broja – at the end stages of his rehabilitation programme.

Pochettino was asked about Nkunku pre-match and expressed his sadness at the France international being ruled out for at least several months. The Chelsea head coach also revealed they are exploring the transfer market at potential cover options for the new signing.

He said: “We feel very sorry about him because he was doing well, a really important player. One of the best offensive players that can play in positions. It’s now about not thinking too much about the injury. It’s time to think positive about his recovery.

“We are working on the transfer market because we are missing one offensive player. The club is working to find a solution, medium, short and long term for the right profile for the team.”