Mauricio Pochettino confirms second Chelsea blow ahead of final game vs Bournemouth

Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Chelsea will be without Mykhailo Mudryk for the final Premier League game of the season against Bournemouth due to concussion protocols.

In the last few months, the Ukrainian has become a regular starter for Chelsea under Pochettino, scoring seven times in all competitions this season. He was in the line-up for Wednesday night’s clash against Brighton & Hove Albion but had to be taken off just before half time.

Mudryk was involved in a clash with Tariq Lamptey where he was caught in the face. After receiving medical treatment, the winger attempted to continue but only lasted a short time before being replaced by Christopher Nkunku.

The change saw Chelsea use the newly introduced concussion substitute rule, where both sides are allowed to make an extra change due to a head injury following consultation with the referee and the club’s doctor. Utilising the rule does however mean that the player now has to go through concussion protocols.

Speaking in his post-match press conference , Pochettino gave an update on Mudryk. When asked if he was OK, he said: "No, he is not OK, we are checking.

“He was a little bit dizzy but we used the concussion substitution and the rule is seven days so he is not going to be available for the next game but I hope it is nothing wrong."

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Chelsea came out as 2-1 winners against Brighton with Nkunku getting what turned out to be the winning goal. The result means that the side need just a point from their final game of the season against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on the final day to guarantee European football next season.

The game against Bournemouth will also see Chelsea without full-back Reece James. After coming on in the second half as he steps up his return from injury, he was shown a straight red card for kicking out at Joao Pedro.

The sending-off means that James will now be suspended for the clash against Bournemouth. He will also miss the opening two games of the 2024/25 season.