Pochettino confirms important 22-year-old will miss Chelsea vs Arsenal

Mauricio Pochettino has suffered an injury blow ahead of Chelsea vs Arsenal, with his 22-year-old star ruled out before the match.

Chelsea kick off one of the most important matches of their season this evening. Mauricio Pochettino hosts his first London derby against Arsenal as Chelsea boss. Although, the Argentine has a rich history against the Gunners since he was the manager of Spurs also.

In this game, despite being the away side, Arsenal are the clear favourites. They went into the international break fresh off beating the champions Manchester City, so facing an out-of-form Blues will seem like a much easier job.

Although, in London derbies, form mostly goes out of the window. Mauricio Pochettino will field his strongest possible lineup and hope for the best in this match. Speaking of the lineup, he’s faced a significant blow in that regard.

Click here for the predicted lineup vs Arsenal

Chelsea boss Pochettino rules out Armando Broja for Arsenal clash

According to a report from Chelsea’s official website, Mauricio Pochettino has officially confirmed that Armando Broja will not feature in the London derby due to injury.

"‘Armando Broja is out because he’s irritated his knee a little bit, but it is the other knee, not the one that was a problem in the past.” – Mauricio Pochettino (via Chelsea)"

If we’re being honest, Broja wouldn’t have started if Nicolas Jackson is fit anyway. However, this would be a significant blow if Jackson is ruled out. According to the same report, Jackson is still under assessment, although he isn’t ruled out as of yet.

Broja scored when he was called upon due to the Jackson rule out. He’s certainly a trustworthy striker but isn’t as clinical as Pochettino’s other options. Still, to have any player ruled out is an advantage to the other team.

What’s your score prediction for Chelsea vs Arsenal?