Chelsea injury, suspension list and return dates for Newcastle United: Christopher Nkunku, Marc Guiu updates

Chelsea return to action on Sunday afternoon when they square off against Newcastle United at St James' Park.

The Blues return to their Premier League schedule for what is a pivotal fixture in their campaign, sitting level on points with their fourth-placed opponents in the race for Champions League qualification.

Enzo Maresca witnessed a much-changed side warm up for this encounter with a 1-0 victory over Djurgardens IF on Thursday night, booking a place in the Conference League final in the process.

Here, Sports Mole rounds up Chelsea's injury and suspension news ahead of the long trip to the North East to face the Magpies.

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Status: Out Type of injury: Thigh Possible return date: Next season

Maresca has confirmed that Wesley Fofana will be sidelined for the remainder of the season owing to his latest fitness problem, this time another hamstring injury.

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Status: Major doubt Type of injury: Knock Possible return date: May 16 (vs. Manchester United)

Christopher Nkunku has missed out on the last three matches due to a knock sustained in training. With Maresca having previously suggested that the France international could miss up to two weeks, this game is likely to come too soon.

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Status: Out Type of injury: Hamstring Possible return date: Next season

Omari Kellyman took to his social media accounts on March 18 to confirm he has suffered a season-ending hamstring injury, with Chelsea looking to reintroduce the youngster into the first-team thinking next campaign.

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Status: Major doubt Type of injury: Hamstring Possible return date: May 11 (vs. Newcastle)

Last featuring for Chelsea on February 3, Marc Guiu is said to have been cleared to return to training. Maresca avoided the temptation to include Guiu in the squad against Djurgardens in midweek, but he may come into contention for Sunday.

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Mykhaylo Mudryk remains suspended after a routine urine test from the attacker contained traces of banned substances.