Nkunku Absent from Defending Chelsea in the FA Cup Against Leeds United

London, Beritasatu.com – Chelsea will host second tier club Leeds United in the fifth round of the FA Cup, Thursday (29/2/2024) early morning WIB. It could be that this match will determine the manager's fate The Blues Mauricio Pochettino.

A narrow defeat to Liverpool in the League Cup final at the weekend denied Pochettino his first trophy in English football.

That means victory over Leeds is now a must to end Chelsea's disappointing season. But unfortunately, in the next match, Chelsea will lose striker Christopher Nkunku due to injury.

Chelsea are currently in the bottom half of the English Premier League standings with little chance of securing European qualification. Therefore, defeat against Leeds would be very detrimental for the club and Pochettino himself. “Of course we are very disappointed, Chelsea wanted to win,” said Pochettino of the 1-0 defeat at Wembley.

“Liverpool spent four years, (Jurgen) Klopp not winning the title but having the support of the club. Now they get what they deserve because of it.

“For us, after seven or eight months, reaching the final is a big achievement in this project,” he said.

Pochettino said he received a good message from the club's American chairman Todd Boehly after the final and when asked if the project was a success, Pochettino said it depended on which way you look at it.

“We are in good shape, at the moment, in the process, that is normal. Be in the final and lose? Maybe you could say it was a disaster. “It depends on how you judge,” he said.

One thing is certain, any negligence by Chelsea will be punished by Leeds who are in their best form, because they have won nine consecutive matches in the Championship to move up to second place in the standings.

“Now we need to keep our spirits up and of course keep going and prepare for tomorrow. We want to get to the end (of the FA Cup) and we have a very good opponent in Leeds. “We have to be strong, have energy,” stressed Pochettino.

Regarding Nkunku's situation, Pochettino said it was necessary to see and evaluate the player every day. According to him, Nkunku's injury means the player will be out for three or four weeks.