Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos ruled out of Liverpool clash with injury | OneFootball

Chelsea have been dealt yet another injury setback after their narrow 1-0 win against Benfica in their second Champions League group stage fixture.

The Blues were far from convincing at Stamford Bridge, but they got over the line thanks to a first-half own goal from Benfica midfielder Richard Rios.

For the third time in four games across all competitions, Chelsea ended the match with 10 men, with Joao Pedro sent off deep into stoppage time.

This time around, the Blues were able to see out the result, although they only had to keep the Portuguese giants out for a couple of minutes.

While the win will lift the morale in the dressing room after the recent run of results, Chelsea’s injury issues keep piling up, with another key player picking up a knock.

Manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed that midfielder Andrey Santos will be sidelined until after the October international break.

The Brazilian was tipped to play an important role this season as the main deputy to Enzo Fernandez.

Santos is also versatile enough to cover for Moises Caicedo in a deeper role, especially after Dario Essugo had surgery to fix his thigh injury.

However, Santos has now joined Chelsea’s injury list, which is growing at an incredibly alarming rate, leaving Maresca with even fewer options in the middle of the park.

The 21-year-old missed training before Tuesday’s Champions League win against Benfica and was subsequently left out of the squad.

He was one of a couple of players Maresca admitted will need to be assessed before the game.

However, after the game, the Italian tactician confirmed that the midfielder will miss this weekend’s box office fixture against Liverpool at the Bridge.

“We lost Andrey Santos, who will be out until after the international break,” Maresca said (via The Standard). “We have seven or eight players out.

“It is difficult to pick the same XI, but it is what it is. We need to adapt.”

Chelsea now have to switch their attention to Premier League football as they look to avoid a third consecutive defeat and two in a row at the Bridge when they host the champions.