Chelsea's Kalidou Koulibaly 'to miss Red Bull Salzburg clash'

Chelsea's Kalidou Koulibaly is reportedly expected to miss the Champions League group game with Red Bull Salzburg on Tuesday night due to injury.

The Senegalese international sat out the 1-1 draw with Manchester United over the weekend with a knee injury and was missing from the open training session today.

Having already seen Reece James and N'Golo Kante suffer long-term injuries, as well as defender Wesley Fofana, the Blues have seen their defensive reinforcements depleted.

Koulibaly has been a regular fixture in the Chelsea side since Graham Potter arrived at the club.

The 31-year-old has managed five clean sheets in five games under Potter and has played the second-most minutes of any Chelsea defender so far this season, behind only Thiago Silva.

However, towards the end of the 0-0 draw with Brentford, he felt a twinge in the back of his knee and was subsequently left out of the United game as a precaution.

Chelsea head into the game with the Austrian side knowing a win will secure qualification to the knockout stages as they currently sit top of Group E.

The Blues bounced back from a disappointing start to their European campaign which saw a 1-0 loss away at Dinamo Zagreb followed by a 1-1 draw at home against Salzburg in Potter's first game in charge of the club.

However, back-to-back wins over AC Milan have since seen them take control of the group.