Antonio Conte To Lose His Star Forward For The Man City Clash
Reuters / John Sibley
Pep Guardiola may just have been gifted a boost before his side’s clash against Chelsea, as Alvaro Morata could miss the mega fixture due to injury.
The striker quickly became the club’s talisman as well as a fan-favourite following his arrival from Real Madrid, after having scored 7 goals and assisted 2 in his last 7 outings, whilst also playing an instrumental role in Chelsea’s comeback against Atletico Madrid during their last Champions League group stage fixture.
Conte’s side was expected to drop points at the Wanda Metropolitano, after Antoine Griezmann helped his team lead from the penalty spot. However, Morata had other plans, and managed to equalise for the Blues, before Michy Batshuayi came on to score the winner during stoppage time.
Reuters/Tony O’Brien
Unfortunately, after helping his side equalise against the La Liga giants, the former Los Blancos man was seen limping off the pitch during the dying minutes of the match. This news was first brought to light by Evening Standard journalist Simon Johnson, via Twitter.
One slight downside to #cfc's evening…Morata appears to be limping through the mixed zone
— Simon Johnson (@SJohnsonSport) September 27, 2017
Later on, Times reported that Morata was scheduled to be assessed by the club’s medical staff on Friday for further inspections. Manager Antonio Conte will surely be hoping for the best, especially with the clash against the Mancunians looming over his shoulder.
The Italian tactician is expected to bring Batshuayi in as a replacement for the Spanish international if he is deemed unfit to play. The 24-year-old has likely sustained a minor knock, but it is unclear whether he will be fully fit to face City this week.
On the other hand, Guardiola may already be planning to exploit this situation. However, with Sergio Aguero out injured due to a recent car accident as well, both sides seem to be lacking their main strikers for this gigantic tie.
Written by Ashish Sreejith 
Have had two addictions in life- playing football and watching football. Usually described as introverted but not when it comes to speaking and writing about the beautiful game of football.