Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted that the ankle injury Mateo Kovacic suffered in the FA Cup semi-final is looking "not so good".
The 27-year-old was taken off with only 26 minutes gone against Crystal Palace, with his replacement Ruben Loftus-Cheek going on to open the scoring in that 2-0 win.
Kovacic is expected to sit out Wednesday's Premier League London derby with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, and Tuchel has not been able to offer a positive update on his condition.
"Not so good. He has a big, big swollen ankle. It does not look good, and he is in pain. So let's wait for the examination but it seems like quite an injury," Tuchel told reporters after the final whistle.
The Blues are also without Ben Chilwell and Callum Hudson-Odoi for the long-term, with the latter potentially taking "weeks" to battle his way back from an Achilles injury.
Kovacic has amassed two goals and six assists from 40 appearances in a Chelsea shirt this term but has only started 14 games in the Premier League. body check tags ::
