Chelsea handed worrying Levi Colwill injury blow but £45m star could start first league game since September

Chelsea defender Levi Colwill will have to get through training today to give himself a chance of making it for the trip to Anfield after picking up what looked like a hamstring injury in the warm-up against Aston Villa in the FA Cup. 

The England defender has been a mainstay in the Chelsea team, playing as a left-back when both Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella have nursed injuries, but he withdrew just before a ball was kicked at Stamford Bridge on Friday night. 

Club sources say the injury is not serious, and manager Mauricio Pochettino said he hoped to have him in training ahead of the trip to Liverpool. After the 0-0 draw against Villa, the Chelsea boss told the press: “We don’t believe it is so bad. It is a small issue and he felt uncomfortable. I hope he can train tomorrow or after tomorrow."

Chilwell boost

Chelsea had Chilwell come off the bench again to see out the game on Friday night and he is now likely to start his first league game since his injury in September 2023. The former Leicester man who was signed in 2020 for £45million looked sharp and even played a key role in Chelsea's first goal against Middlesbrough in the League Cup before starting on the bench in the FA Cup as Pochettino looked to slowly integrate him back.

He is now set to start at Anfield, while Christopher Nkunku- who has battled a hip injury and missed the last five games returned to training and is likely to be in the squad that will travel to Merseyside this evening.