Chelsea defender Thiago Silver out for 6 Weeks

By Amaechi Agbo

Chelsea’s woeful performance in the Premier League may be far from over as their reliable defender and deputy captain, Thiago Silva has been ruled out for six weeks

Silver suffered knee ligament damage during Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at rivals Tottenham.

The 38-year-old Brazil captain had a scan on Monday and the club have not said how long he is likely to be out.

“Having sustained a knee injury during the first half of Sunday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur, Thiago underwent further assessment and a scan on his return to the training centre on Monday.

“Scan results from those assessments have confirmed damage to Thiago’s knee ligaments and he will now work closely with the club’s medical department during his rehabilitation to return to action as soon as possible,” Chelsea said in statement

It is however beloved that the defender would be out for 5 to 6 weeks

Silva will miss next week’s Champions League last-16 second leg against Dortmund, which Chelsea trail 1-0.

The Champions League is the Blues’ last chance of silverware this season.

Flying Eagles lost 0-2 to Portugal in a classic Final in Riyadh. And in 2005, Lionel Messi and Argentina were 2-1 winners in the Final match in The Netherlands.

The Hippos of Uganda finished top of their Group B which also included Congo, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. They defeated Central African Republic 2-1, and drew 2-2 and 0-0 with Congo and South Sudan respectively. It took a drawing of lots by the Confederation of African Football to separate Uganda and Congo and determine the winner of Group B, as both teams finished with the same statistics.

Meanwhile, the Flying Eagles will be without the services of team captain Daniel Bameyi due to accumulation of two yellow cards. The defender was cautioned twice in the group games against Senegal and Mozambique.

In the other quarter-final games, nine-pointer The Gambia will take on fresh birds South Sudan, who shocked Central African Republic 1-0 and drew 0-0 with Uganda to finish in third place in Group B with four points. Their only defeat was a 1-2 reverse against Congo. The match will hold at the Haras El-Hedood Stadium in Alexandria on Friday.

On Thursday, before the Flying Eagles take on Uganda in Ismailia, Group A winners Senegal will tango with Benin Republic at the Cairo International Stadium. The Young Cheetahs finished in third place in Group C with only two points having drawn with Zambia and Tunisia, but unlucky to concede an own goal two minutes to the end of their encounter with group winners The Gambia on Monday.

The last quarter-final duel is between Congo and Tunisia, at the Cairo International Stadium on Friday evening. The North Africans pulled their weight to defeat Zambia 2-1 on Monday, after having lost 0-1 to The Gambia and drawing 0-0 with Benin Republic earlier in Group C.

All four winners will advance to the semi-finals of the competition, but more importantly, qualify to represent Africa at the FIFA U20 World Cup finals in Indonesia.

He will also be absent as Graham Potter’s struggling side look to improve their dismal league form, including Saturday’s home Premier League game against Leeds United Chelsea are 14 points from the top four and have only won twice in their past 15 games in all competitions.

Silva signed a one-year contract extension this month, which will keep him at Chelsea until summer 2024. He will also be absent as Graham Potter’s struggling side look to improve their dismal league form, including Saturday’s home Premier League game against Leeds United Chelsea are 14 points from the top four and have only won twice in their past 15 games in all competitions.