Confirmed team news: Aston Villa old boy Chukwuemeka will miss Chelsea's trip to B6 6HE

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has ruled out Carney Chukwuemeka's involvement in his side's Premier League clash with Aston Villa at Villa Park.

The former Aston Villa starlet will not be named in Chelsea's official traveling squad to B6 6HE due to injury.

It has been an injury-ravaged season for the Super Eagles-eligible midfielder, whose fitness issue started as early as the second match of the campaign, picking up a knee injury against West Ham.

He couldn't return to action till January when he made a cameo return in Chelsea's 1-0 victory over Fulham at the Stamford Bridge and featured in the next two league games against Liverpool and Wolves respectively.

The 20-year-old would pick up another injury in February but didn't spend much time on the treatment table as he did previously, staging a return against Newcastle in March.

While he also picked up another knock in late March, he only missed one Premier League and has been involved in the matchday squad since then.

The England youth international has been getting into some rhythm in recent weeks, scoring a goal in the Blues' dramatic win over Leicester City in the FA Cup but that may have now been dented with the latest news regarding his fitness.

Speaking in his pre match conference ahead of tomorrow's clash with Unai Emery's side, Pochettino revealed that the talented midfielder's knee problem has resurfaced.

"Sterling suffered pain in his lower back and Carney felt something in his knee, related to his problem before. We hope it's not a big issue and he can be back as soon as possible."he told Chelsea's official website

Due to his unavailability, Chukwuemeka has managed to feature in just 12 games across all competitions this season.

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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