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Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has provided a worrying injury update on Mateo Kovacic.
The Croatian midfielder went off injured just 26 minutes into their FA Cup semi-final clash with Crystal Palace on Sunday.
He appeared to twist his ankle while in action and after trying to continue for 10 more minutes, was taken off for Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Loftus-Cheek then broke the deadlock for the Blues in the second half before Mason Mount consolidated their win.
Losing Kovacic didn't eventually prove disastrous, but going forward, it could be a problem as Tuchel admitted his condition was "doesn't look good".
Speaking to Chelsea TV after the clash, he said:
“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.”
Going by his words, the 27-year-old is set for a spell on the sidelines, and with just about a month left into their campaign, he might as well miss the remainder of it.
More developments are expected in the coming days but if Kovacic is ruled out for the home stretch of their campaign, it would be unfortunate as he's enjoyed probably his best season with the Blues yet.
He's already missed a total of 11 games this season, first through an adductor problem and then with a bout of COVID-19.
Luckily for Chelsea, they do not have much to play for in the Premier League, with Manchester City and Liverpool out of their sight.
The Blues, languishing 11 and 12 points behind the top two of City and Liverpool respectively with a game in hand, are competing for third place at best.
With the Champions League title defense also put paid to, the finals next month against Liverpool remain their only big game (and a shot at silverware this season).
Chelsea in third consecutive FA Cup final
Chelsea have reached the FA Cup for the third year running but having lost the previous two, they will hope for better fortunes here.
The Blues were beaten 2-1 by Arsenal in the 2020 finals before a shock 1-0 loss against Leicester City last year.
Their last FA Cup trophy was in 2018 under Antonio Conte, their eighth title in history.
