Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has provided the latest update on his squad ahead of Sunday’s Premier League London derby against Arsenal.
The Blues head into the clash at the Emirates Stadium hoping to end their winless run in the league, having surrendered leads in their last two matches against Leeds United and Burnley.
The two-time European champions will be without several key players for the clash. Teenage forward Estevao Willian remains sidelined with an injury sustained in training last week, which ruled him out of the draw with Burnley and out of Sunday’s trip to Arsenal as well.
Marc Cucurella is also unavailable after picking up a hamstring injury in the first half of the draw against Leeds.
The left-back was forced off at halftime in the clash and has since missed matches against Hull City in the FA Cup fourth round and Burnley in the Premier League.
Jamie Gittens also joins the list of absentees as he will miss the clash against the Gunners with a hamstring injury.
The former Borussia Dortmund winger suffered the injury during Chelsea’s 3-2 comeback win over West Ham in January and has already missed their last four games across all competitions.
However, there is some positive news with the return of Dario Essugo to training after an extended spell on the sidelines.
The 20-year-old has yet to feature for the Blues this season after undergoing surgery on an injury sustained while on international duty with Portugal’s Under-21 squad in September 2025, but has now returned and is in contention to get minutes in the clash.
Club captain Reece James, whose minutes have been carefully managed, is also fully fit for the game against Arsenal.
Romeo Lavia, meanwhile, will be hoping to get his first minutes of 2026 in the clash as well. The Belgian midfielder has not played at senior level since suffering an injury back in November and made his first match-day squad in three months against Burnley last week.
“Reece is absolutely fine. Romeo is getting stronger and stronger. We had a mini practice match in the week where he looked really good.
“Estevao will be out for a little bit longer and Jamie Gittens is progressing in his rehab. Cucu is not available for Sunday. Dario Essugo is back on the training pitch, too”, Rosenior confirmed during Friday’s pre-match press conference in quotes revealed by football.london.
Chelsea have a poor record against Arsenal in recent outings, as they are winless in their last 10 meetings, including defeats in both legs of their EFL Cup semifinal clash earlier this year.
Still, the Blues will be determined to change that trend as they continue to strengthen their push for a top-four finish.
