Chelsea: Calum McFarlane reveals new six-man injury update for Liverpool clash

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Evening Standard

·7 de mayo de 2026

Chelsea: Calum McFarlane reveals new six-man injury update for Liverpool clash

Blues’ interim boss confirms latest on Robert Sanchez ahead of Anfield showdown

Chelsea will be without goalkeeper Robert Sanchez for Saturday’s Premier League contest against Liverpool, with wingers Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho also unlikely to play.

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Neto and Garnacho both sustained knocks in training on the eve of Monday’s damaging 3-1 home defeat by relegation-battling Nottingham Forest’s second string.

Sanchez started that game at Stamford Bridge but was forced off in the second half after a head-on-head collision with Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, after youngster Jesse Derry had earlier been stretchered off and taken to hospital following a clash of heads with Zach Abbott that ended his top-flight debut early.

Both Sanchez and Gibbs-White suffered cuts to their heads which required stitches and the Spaniard underwent regular tests this week with Chelsea’s medical staff at Cobham, in line with concussion protocols.

However, he has not yet been passed fit and will now miss Saturday’s lunchtime trip to Liverpool.

Filip Jorgensen returned to the Chelsea squad against Forest after injury and replaced Sanchez off the bench. He will be expected to deputise from the start at Anfield, where the visitors will be desperately looking to end a nightmare run of six successive league defeats.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon, interim head coach Calum McFarlane provided a new injury update on the Chelsea squad.

Clash of heads: Robert Sanchez was forced off against Nottingham Forest after colliding with Morgan Gibbs-White

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“Neto and Garnacho are carrying knocks, so it’s looking unlikely that they are going to be available [against Liverpool],” he said.

“Rob [Sanchez] is also not going to be available after the injury that he sustained in the Nottingham Forest game.”

Asked how Chelsea - already without the likes of attackers Estevao and Jamie Gittens due to injury - will adapt without those players, McFarlane replied: “We’ve still got a lot of players available that can impact football games.

“We’re going to have to make up some of those players we’re missing in different ways in the way we shape the team up. I don’t want to go into too much detail on [how].”

On Derry, who was discharged from hospital earlier this week after precautionary checks, McFarlane said: “I spoke to Jesse's dad [Shaun Derry] the night it happened and the family yesterday. It's positive.

“I don't have the insights to go into massive details but the early signs are positive. As long as he's healthy, that's all that really matters. He's not going to be available between now and the end of the season.”

There is better news for Chelsea on the fitness of Reece James and Levi Colwill, who have both trained fully ahead of this weekend’s game on Merseyside.

Captain James has not played since the 1-0 defeat by Newcastle on March 14 due to a hamstring issue and was an unused substitute against Nottingham Forest, while Colwill came off the bench at half-time to make his first appearance of the season following a serious knee injury sustained during the summer.

“We've got a few lads returning,” McFarlane said. “Levi and Reece have trained a full week. It's looking promising. We've still got another session. They both trained fully today.”