Kalidou Koulibaly: Chelsea defender out for 'a matter of weeks', says Frank Lampard

Kalidou Koulibaly joined Chelsea from Napoli successful July

Kalidou Koulibaly volition miss Chelsea's adjacent 2 games and beryllium retired for "a substance of weeks" with a hamstring injury, says interim manager Frank Lampard.

He volition miss Saturday's Premier League lucifer astatine location to Brighton and the instrumentality limb against Real connected Tuesday.

"He is simply a precise good, precise experienced player," said Lampard.

Left-back Marc Cucurella replaced Koulibaly successful the 55th infinitesimal astatine the Bernabeu.

Benoit Badiashile could travel successful for the Brighton match, but the 22-year-old Frenchman is not registered for the Blues successful Europe. Trevoh Chalobah, 23, is different enactment for Lampard and is successful Chelsea's European squad.

"People speech a batch astir our squad but we haven't got tons of screen successful definite times and the Champions League squad is antithetic to the Premier League squad," said Lampard.

"Of people it is simply a disappointment for Koulibaly and for us, but it's an accidental [for others] and we transportation connected without him and hopefully helium gets arsenic acceptable arsenic helium can."

Chelsea, who are 11th successful the league, are struggling for signifier and person not scored a extremity successful their past 4 matches successful each competitions.

Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang came connected successful their 1-0 nonaccomplishment against Wolves past play and Lampard hinted the 33-year-old could beryllium progressive against Brighton.

"Auba is simply a spot similar everybody successful the squad now, whether you person been starting earlier oregon not starting truthful much, everyone present needs to vie successful grooming to amusement that you are worthy of a place," added Lampard.

"Of people past says helium has a fantastic goalscoring grounds truthful we'll see."

Chelsea person played 3 games successful the past six days and immoderate players, who person been retired of the team, person had constricted opportunities to impressment Lampard since helium returned to the nine aft Graham Potter was sacked.

"They can't each play, the maths doesn't work," helium said. "Firstly, I privation to triumph shot matches - arsenic we're Chelsea and that's what's expected of us.

"And past secondly I privation to beryllium portion of a process successful this play where, if players merit to play, they get an accidental connected the transportation to amusement what they tin do.

"Saturday volition beryllium an accidental for immoderate players that didn't play successful the Champions League, who perchance didn't play astatine the weekend, to travel successful due to the fact that it's a crippled wherever we perfectly request freshness and vigor arsenic well."