Levi Colwill, Ben Chilwell, Malo Gusto - Chelsea injury news and return dates before Tottenham Hotspur clash

Chelsea are back in Premier League action on Thursday evening when they square off against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The Blues responded to their most recent derby setback - a 5-0 reverse at Arsenal - by producing a spirited comeback to secure a 2-2 draw at Aston Villa on Saturday night.

However, the share of the spoils did little to boost Chelsea's top-seven hopes, and Mauricio Pochettino knows that his players need to deliver against his former club if they wish to continue to challenge for European qualification.

Here, Sports Mole rounds up Chelsea's latest injury and suspension news ahead of the showdown with Spurs, who lost a five-goal thriller to Arsenal on Sunday.

Robert Sanchez

Status: Out Type of injury: Illness Possible return date: May 5 (vs. West Ham United)

Robert Sanchez was again absent from the ranks to face Villa, the latest update being due to illness, and Pochettino has since revealed that no players will return to the squad.

Levi Colwill

Status: Out Type of injury: Toe Possible return date: May 5 (vs. West Ham)

Levi Colwill has been dealing with a troublesome toe problem for nearly two months and while the defender has stepped up his recovery, he was ruled out of the Villa game. Although the England international is back in team training, he has been ruled out of this game.

Christopher Nkunku

Status: Out Type of injury: Hamstring Possible return date: May 5 (vs. West Ham)

Christopher Nkunku is in a similar position to Colwill with Pochettino waiting to see how his body reacts to a return to training. That has now been happening for longer than a week, but the Frenchman has been ruled out of a return yet again.

Wesley Fofana

Status: Out Type of injury: Knee Possible return date: Unknown

The hapless Wesley Fofana remains glued to the treatment table due to his serious knee injury, and Pochettino has conceded he does not envisage the Frenchman returning before the end of the season.

Reece James

Status: Out Type of injury: Hamstring Possible return date: Unknown

Similarly, captain Reece James is on the recovery trail from hamstring surgery and no timeframe has been placed on his recovery, but the right-back has at least returned to partial training.

Lesley Ugochukwu

Status: Major doubt Type of injury: Hamstring Possible return date: May 5 (vs. West Ham)

Lesley Ugochukwu, who is yet to appear in 2024 due to a hamstring injury, is another who has recently stepped up his recovery, from a long-term hamstring injury in this instance. However, the Frenchman will not feature on Thursday.

Romeo Lavia

Status: Out Type of injury: Thigh Possible return date: Unknown

Romeo Lavia's debut season at Chelsea will end with just one appearance to his name, as the Belgian is nursing a severe thigh problem and has already been ruled out until the 2024-25 season.

Malo Gusto

Status: Out Type of injury: Knee Possible return date: Unknown

Malo Gusto suffered a knee issue during the FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City and has subsequently missed the last two games. It has been confirmed that he will miss a third.

Ben Chilwell

Status: Out Type of injury: Knee Possible return date: Unknown

Similarly, Ben Chilwell has been suffering from a recurrence of the knee injury that he picked up on England duty and there is no timeframe on his return to action.

Carney Chukwuemeka

Status: Out Type of injury: Unspecified Possible return date: Unknown

Carney Chukwuemeka was added to the Chelsea injury update last Friday, it being said that he was "undergoing medical assessment", and the playmaker did not feature in the squad against former club Villa. As it stands, no further update has been provided, aside from that his unavailability has been extended.

Raheem Sterling