Research shows Chelsea are the PL team least affected by injuries – but is that changing?

With football having to endure unprecedented times due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, clubs in Europe’s top 5 leagues have all fared differently, which has resulted in one of the most unpredictable seasons to date.

By compiling a variety of statistics, 888sport has exacted method behind the madness to establish which clubs in Europe’s top five leagues have flourished and which have withered under the extreme circumstances.

The research’s focus started with how each club has suffered with injuries this season, and they reveal that the Premier League is the worst affected league in Europe’s top five divisions in terms of absences due to injury.

In terms of injuries this season, Chelsea have been the most fortunate club in the entire Premier League. Despite having the added Champions League fixtures, the Blues have only missed a combined 50 games due to injury, which is extremely low compared to the PL average of 107 games.

However, this injury luck seems to be ending as the club have already lost two of their first team stars due to injury in the current international break.

French midfielder N’Golo Kante suffered a small left hamstring tear and has returned to London for rehabilitation.

And Callum Hudson-Odoi sustained a shoulder injury during training with the England Under-21 squad and missed their fixtures against Portugal’s Under-21s.

Kante and Hudson-Odoi will join Thiago Silva, Tammy Abraham, Jorginho and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy who all went into the international break with ailments.