Chelsea’s David Luiz has not taken part in the Blues’ training ahead of their final Champions League group stage match hosting Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge.
The Brazilian centre-back was surprisingly dropped by Antonio Conte for Chelsea’s Premier League tie against Manchester United a month ago, and has only made one appearance since – a start in the Blues 4-0 win over Qarabag FK four games ago.
According to Conte himself, Luiz is simply injured as he has ‘liquid in his knee’ – a very common problem for players who have injured their knee somewhere in the past. The media, however, believe that there has been a bust-up between the Italian manager and Luiz, causing the Brazilian to take his place on the sidelines instead of the bench.
Andreas Christensen has done a brilliant job replacing Luiz while he’s gone, but with the busy holiday schedule kicking in, any manager would be stressed to see injuries blocking their chance for roatition.
Chelsea have already confirmed their place in the Champions League’s Round of 16, but a win over Atletico would ensure them the first place in the group, sending the Spaniards to Europa League in the meantime.
Eden Hazard’s younger brother Kylian, 22, and Chelsea’s academy star Jacob Maddox, 19, took part in the Blues’ first-team training on Monday while Luiz was given a rest.
