Brighton & Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi has revealed that Evan Ferguson and Joel Veltman will both miss next weekend's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United due to injury.
The Seagulls duo were both forced off in the first half of Saturday's 2-1 comeback victory away against Chelsea in the Premier League.
After Conor Gallagher has given the Blues the lead with a deflected strike in the 13th minute, defender Veltman was withdrawn just before the half-hour mark after sustaining an apparent muscle injury.
Just 10 minutes later, Brighton striker Ferguson landed awkwardly on his ankle after seeing a header tipped over the crossbar and was visibly in discomfort as he limped down the tunnel.
Nevertheless, the visitors were able the turn the game on its head courtesy of goals from substitutes Julio Enciso and Danny Welbeck, who replaced Veltman and Ferguson respectively.
Just four minutes after coming on for the injured Ferguson, Welbeck drew Brighton level with a close-range header on the stroke of half time, before Encscio fired a stunning 35-yard strike into the top corner 20 minutes from time to help the Seagulls claim three valuable points in their push for Europe.
Brighton's first-ever league win at Stamford Bridge ultimately came at a cost, though, due to the injuries picked up by Veltman and Ferguson, and De Zerbi has confirmed that the pair will be sidelined for at least a "couple of weeks", ruling them out of next Sunday's FA Cup semi-final clash against Man United at Wembley.
"Ferguson and Veltman can't play for a minimum couple of weeks," De Zerbi told reporters as quoted by The Athletic journalist Andy Naylor.
"We are losing too many players. We are playing without [Adam] Lallana, [Jeremy] Sarmiento, [Tariq] Lamptey, now today Veltman and Ferguson. It's difficult."
The absences of both Veltman and Lamptey leaves De Zerbi short of options in the right-back department, with midfielder Pascal Gross – who switched to right-back against Chelsea following Veltman's withdrawal – set for an extended period on the right side of defence.
Gross could therefore face a challenging task in keeping Man United star Marcus Rashford quiet on the left flank, pending a late fitness check ahead of the clash at Wembley.
Meanwhile, the absence of Ferguson – who has been linked with a move to Man United this summer – will likely see Welbeck handed a start up front for the Seagulls against his former club.
Speaking to BBC Sport on Brighton's win over Chelsea, De Zerbi said: "It's an amazing day for us. The result, the performance. This game gives more energy, more confidence, more enthusiasm to finish the season in the best way.
"Julio Enciso played a fantastic game until the goal and then he finished the game. It's not a surprise. He's a good guy. He has to progress and improve in his mentality – to explain to him the importance of the last 10 minutes.
"If we conceded a goal then his goal is not important like if you win. The important thing is to have the confidence from your teammates. I don't like if you score and then you finish the game. You have to think about the team."
On next weekend's FA Cup semi-final, the Italian added: "Now we have to prepare for the semi-final. We'd like to play the final. To do that we'll have to win.
"We are a serious team with serious players. Nothing changes. We work a normal week. We would like to make our fans happy."
Brighton remain seventh in the Premier League table, but their win over Chelsea has seen them move to within four points of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who have played two games more and lost 3-2 at home to Bournemouth. body check tags ::
