England and Chelsea full-back Ben Chilwell is set to be doubtful for selection for the upcoming FIFA World Cup hosted by Qatar. Chilwell suffered a hamstring injury in Chelsea's 2-1 Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb. Denis Zakaria scored his first goal for the Blues as they came back to beat the Croatian champions at Stamford Bridge.
In the post-match press conference, Chelsea's manager Graham Potter revealed that Chilwell’s fitness isn’t looking good as the club will have to send the Englishman for a scan. Chilwell has made 17 appearances for the Three Lions and was part of the England squad that reached the final of Euro 2020.
While speaking at the post-game interview, Potter said, "Not great. When he pulls up like that it's a concern. We need to scan but it's not positive at the moment." Later in the media briefing, Potter expressed how Chilwell hasn’t been at his best, fitness-wise, over the last three weeks.
Potter said, "He didn't play at the weekend so there was a thought he could play tonight and have enough time to recover. We've tried to manage him. He's not played three games in a week and has had the build-up that he needs. It's frustrating and it's a blow for him."
Whereas for Chelsea, Zakaria gave a strong 70-minute performance on his first appearance since joining on loan from Juventus in September. The Swiss international also posted good overall stats against Zagreb. He had a 98% passing accuracy with a long ball percentage of 67%.
Commenting on Zakaria, Graham Potter said: "He's handled himself really well. Supported his team and teammates in a good way. Credit to him, everyone was so happy for him. It's a great story for a whole group I think."
While Chelsea had already secured the top spot in Group E as they finished three points ahead of defending Serie A champions AC Milan. Chelsea will now gear up for Sunday's London derby with league leader Arsenal before playing Manchester City in the EFL Cup and in-form Newcastle United in the Premier League.
