Georgia came from behind to beat Kennesaw State 6-4 in some early-season college baseball action on Tuesday. The Bulldogs fell behind 4-0 early but scored the final six runs of the game and took the lead in the top of the ninth before closer Brian Curley came on for the save.
The Owls put runners on first and second with one out, but Curley struck out the final two batters as No. 8 Georgia improved to 4-1 on the season.
Of course, it's the manner in which Curley got that final out that we're here to examine. With two outs and two strikes, Curley checked on the runner at second and could be seen making some aggressive tongue motions. Then he turned and delivered a curveball to the plate for a called strike three.
Lost in the shadow of the tongue motions is the fact that he then tossed his glove and put his hands up as if to say, ?
Curley, who played the first two years of his college career at VCU, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 16th round of the 2024 MLB amateur draft. Since he didn't sign, he went back to college and transferred to Georgia where he was clocked at 100mph in a game over the weekend.
He's certainly a player to watch this sason. For various reasons.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani injured his left arm while trying to steal second base in the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday night.
With the Dodgers leading the New York Yankees 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Ohtani took off from first base in a steal attempt. He was thrown out at second by Yankees catcher Austin Wells, which ended the inning, but Ohtani remained on the ground grasping at his left arm, while waving for assistance from the training staff with his right arm.
According to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez, Ohtani's arm was being supported by a Dodgers trainer as he left the field.
The Dodgers hold a 1-0 series lead, with a chance to shift the series to New York just two wins away from a world championship.
While Arshdeep hurt his bowling hand while training, Akash Deep has picked up a groin niggle
Nagraj Gollapudi20-Jul-20252:22
What can we expect from Old Trafford?
India’s preparations for the fourth Test in Manchester have taken a hit with two of their fast bowlers, Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh, picking up injuries that are likely to rule them out of the match. ESPNcricinfo has learned the selectors have decided to add Haryana fast bowler Anshul Kamboj as cover for the final two Tests of the five-match series.While Arshdeep hurt his bowling hand in his follow through during a training session in Beckenham on Thursday, Akash Deep has picked up a groin niggle. The fourth Test, which starts on July 23 at Old Trafford, is vital for both teams as India could either draw level with England or lose the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, in case there is a result.Related
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India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate had pointed out on Thursday that Arshdeep’s injury would impact India’s planning, and the team’s concerns have now deepened with doubts over Akash Deep. The right-arm quick played a key role in India drawing level in Birmingham with a 10-wicket match haul. In the next Test at Lord’s, he picked up just one wicket, struggling to find rhythm from the Pavilion End. He also walked off the field on the fourth afternoon to get some treatment, though it could not confirmed at the time what the issue was.At training in Beckenham, Akash Deep did not bowl or bat, but did fitness drills under the observation of trainer Adrian Le Roux. Whether the injuries are serious or not will only be known by Monday when India will have a media briefing, but both Akash Deep and Arshdeep travelled to Manchester from London on Saturday.Arshdeep Singh has suffered an injury to his bowling hand•Bipin PatelAs he started to bowl at training, Arshdeep, who is still uncapped in Tests, was heard saying: “I’ll bowl a lot today, cover all the work of a week, and then go and shop.” A little while later, though, he walked out and had his bowling hand taped. It could not be ascertained if he has received stitches, but Arshdeep would have counted himself in contention for the Old Trafford Test in case Akash Deep was ruled out.India now find themselves in a tight spot, and the question of Jasprit Bumrah’s participation in Manchester becomes more critical. Ten Doeschate had admitted that, with the with the series on the line, India would be “leaning towards” playing Bumrah in the fourth Test, but his selection would come down to several other factors including the weather in Manchester and the fitness of the other bowlers.Mohammed Siraj, the only India fast bowler to have played all three Tests in this series, has already bowled the most overs for the visitors and ten Doeschate said his workload would need to be carefully managed too. Prasidh Krishna, who played the first two Tests, is the other specialist fast bowler in the squad, apart from the bowling allrounder Shardul Thakur who played the first Test in Leeds.Kamboj, 24, is a stocky right-arm fast bowler who can be skiddy as well as hit the deck hard on occasion. He was part of the India A squad that played two unofficial Tests prior to the England Test series and picked up four wickets in the second match in Northampton, including twin strikes in one over in the second innings. Prior to that, Kamboj also shared an unbroken 149-run stand with Tanush Kotian in the same match, which ended in a draw.England lead the series 2-1 after their thrilling 22-run win at Lord’s, sealed in the final session of the final day.
Compton, Muyeye notch half-centuries as Lancashire toil after inserting visitors at Blackpool
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 22-Jun-2025
Ben Compton heaves leg side during his half-century•Luke Adams
James Anderson’s first day as Lancashire’s interim skipper was spoiled by Ben Compton and the rain as Kent dominated the first day of the Rothesay County Championship match at BlackpoolHaving lost the toss, the visitors were 213 for 3 when heavy showers caused play to be abandoned shortly after the scheduled tea interval. At that point, Compton was 86 not out and his 126-run stand with Tawanda Muyeye, who made 63, had been the centrepiece of the day. Anderson, on the other hand, might have been regretting his decision to insert Kent on what looks a true pitch.Even in the first few overs of the day, the signs were not propitious for Lancashire. Opening in place of Zak Crawley, Jaydn Denly batted with pleasant ease to put on 55 with Compton in exactly an hour before he top-edged a sweep off the spinner, Chris Green, and was well caught at deep square leg by Mitchell Stanley for 34.Daniel Bell-Drummond then made 13 before he edged George Balderson behind, where Matty Hurst took a good catch standing up to the stumps. However, Compton and Muyeye took their side safely to lunch, when Kent were probably reasonably content to be 105 for 2 after 33 overs.Rain then prevented play for 90 minutes but Compton reached his half-century only four overs after the restart when he drove Anderson through mid-on for two. The Kent opener had faced 100 balls and had hit six fours to reach a landmark that also prompted a marked acceleration in the run rate.Compton and Muyeye extended their third-wicket partnership to a hundred in only 19.5 overs although Lancashire had only themselves to blame for dropping Compton on 54, Jennings putting down a straightforward slip catch off Green. Batting in a most enterprising fashion, Muyeye reached his own fifty off 66 balls and made light of the cloudy conditions that should have aided Anderson’s seam attack.But Lancashire got the breakthrough they needed in the penultimate over before tea, when Muyeye, having made 63, sought to hit Balderson down the ground but only skied the ball to cover, where Stanley took his second catch of the day.That ended Muyeye’s 126-run stand with Compton and as things turned out, the wicket fell ten balls before rain forced the players off a couple of deliveries before the scheduled tea interval. Umpires David Millns and Sue Redfern abandoned play at 5.20om with Compton 14 runs short of his fourth first-class century of the season and Jack Leaning unbeaten on 4.Balderson was the most successful Lancashire bowler with 2 for 37. Anderson bowled nine wicketless overs for 36 runs.Lancashire came into this match between the bottom two sides in Division Two four points ahead of their opponents and as the only first-class county yet to record a Championship win this season. If the weather forecast is anything like accurate, they will have done well to change that situation come Wednesday evening.
League games generally have 60 minutes extra allotted for delays, while only playoffs were supposed to have two extra hours previously
Nagraj Gollapudi20-May-20252:58
Cricinformed: Bumrah, the gold standard for a T20 bowler
In an effort to complete a full 20-overs match in case of rain interruptions, the IPL has decided to add 120 minutes of extra time for the remaining nine matches in the league phase of the 2025 season.Normally the two-hour extra time allowance has been part of the playing conditions for the playoffs only. However, with the tournament resuming after a week-long suspension and the onset of monsoon across India, the IPL has decided to ensure play as far as possible.Eight of the nine remaining league matches are scheduled to be played in the evening barring the Gujarat Titans-Chennai Super Kings game which will be played in the afternoon on May 25. As per the playing conditions, the regulation completion time for an evening match is 10.50pm and 6.50pm for an afternoon game (all timings IST).This means with an extra two-hour allowance now, a full 20-overs match can start as late as 5.30pm (afternoon game) or 9.30pm (evening game). For a minimum five-overs game, the cut-off time for an afternoon match will be 7.56 pm (including 10-minute changeover) and 11.56 pm for an evening game.So far in IPL 2025, three matches have been abandoned due to rain, with teams sharing points, while two other games have been shortened due to the weather.Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Kolkata was the first game to be abandoned due to rain, followed by the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)-Delhi Capitals (DC) match in Hyderabad. The first match that was scheduled after the week-long suspension of the tournament, between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and KKR, was then abandoned without a ball bowled in Bengaluru.PBKS earlier defeated RCB in a shortened game, while Gujarat Titans (GT) came up trumps against Mumbai Indians (MI) in a match that saw multiple stoppages.Due to a yellow alert issued by the meteorological department in Bengaluru that has predicted “heavy to very heavy rainfall” in the city until Thursday, RCB’s final home game against SRH on May 23 has been shifted to Lucknow.
Losing has become an unwanted habit for Manchester United under Ruben Amorim. So much so that the 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday may not have surprised anyone.
The Red Devils have accrued a measly 31 points in 31 matches under the Portuguese head coach, the lowest of any non-relegated side in that time.
It should go without saying, but, it is not good enough for a club of Manchester United’s size with the ambitions that they should have in the Premier League.
Players are to blame as well as the manager, though, and one player who may not have much of a future at Old Trafford, as a frontline player anyway, is Altay Bayindir.
The Turkish shot-stopper was given the nod between the sticks for the Manchester derby, but it seemed to be more of a case of keeping Senne Lammens out of the firing line for a debut in such a big clash.
United swooped to sign the Belgian goalkeeper from Royal Antwerp on deadline day and his arrival at Old Trafford could spell the end of Altay’s short time as the number one.
Why Altay Bayindir may already be finished at Man Utd
The Turkey international has started all four of the club’s Premier League matches this season, per Sofascore, but has not done enough to suggest that he has what it takes to be the next Edwin Van Der Sar, David De Gea, or Peter Schmeichel.
Altay played four times in the top-flight in the 2024/25 campaign and only saved 44% of the shots on his goal, per Sofascore, and made one error that led to a goal.
The Turkish flop has not improved much at the start of the current season, unfortunately, as he has saved 53% of the shots against him in the Premier League and made one error that led to a goal.
As you can see in the clip above, the United goalkeeper was far too weak from a corner on the opening day against Arsenal, which allowed Riccardo Calafiori to score the winning goal for the away side.
This means that Altay, who was easily beaten by Phil Foden and Erling Haaland for the first two Man City goals on Sunday, has made two errors that have led to goals in just eight league starts for the club.
Top performing shot-stoppers in Premier League vs Senne Lammens
24/25 season
Goals (xG) prevented
Senne Lammens (Pro League)
+15.57
Jordan Pickford (Premier League)
+6.15
Matz Sels (Premier League)
+4.55
Mark Travers (Premier League)
+4.48
Ederson (Premier League)
+4.46
Dean Henderson (Premier League)
+3.14
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Lammens has the shot-stopping potential to be a standout in the Premier League for the Red Devils if he can adjust to the division.
This means that the Belgian goalkeeper’s arrival at the club could spell the end of Altay’s career as a first-choice option for Amorim, as he settles in as the number one in the weeks to come.
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Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
The Turkey international may not be the only poor performer from the derby whose career at United under Amorim should be in danger, though, as Manuel Ugarte falls into the same bracket.
He was selected to start in the middle of the park over Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo, yet once again failed to deliver an impressive performance for the team.
Why Manuel Ugarte should be finished at Man Utd
The Uruguay international has been at Old Trafford for more than a year and looks no closer to establishing himself as a key player for the manager than when he first walked through the door under Erik ten Hag.
Ugarte’s performances in the Premier League for the Red Devils during the 2024/25 campaign left far too much to be desired, as the central midfielder struggled badly in possession.
24/25 PL
Manuel Ugarte
Rank vs midfielders
Non-penalty goals
0.05
Bottom 41%
xAG
0.06
Bottom 30%
Shot-creating actions
1.56
Bottom 16%
Progressive passes
3.08
Bottom 18%
Progressive carries
0.81
Bottom 23%
Passes into the final third
2.96
Bottom 36%
Passes into the penalty area
0.45
Bottom 20%
Stats via FBref
As you can see in the table above, the former Paris Saint-Germain flop was among the worst central midfielders in the division in a host of possession-based metrics, which shows that he disrupted the team’s build-up with his lack of quality on the ball.
Despite being in the side to provide defensive stability, in theory, only Bruno Fernandes (1.4) was dribbled past more per game than Ugarte (1.3) for Manchester United in the Premier League last season, per WhoScored.
Opposition players found it far too easy to get the better of the central midfielder in the middle of the park, which means that he was a liability to the side in and out of possession last term.
Unfortunately, Ugarte’s performance in his first start of the league season against Manchester City on Sunday did not suggest that he is ready to turn things around.
Earlier this month, former Chelsea ace Craig Burley said: “Manuel Ugarte is just absolutely nothing. He’s just like a wet blanket. Put him in with the kids and even the kids would be going, ‘Who the hell is this guy?’ Seriously.”
Harsh comments from Burley but it is hard to disagree with him. Ugarte was caught out for the opening goal from Foden as he was too slow to get out to Doku and his weak block fell back for the winger to cross for the England international.
His lack of quality in possession also played a part in the third goal. The midfielder played a poor pass into Luke Shaw’s feet, which forced him to put Harry Maguire under pressure, resulting in the centre-back giving the ball away and Haaland being played through for his second.
He does not look up to the task of starting matches for Manchester United in the Premier League, as evidenced by his dismal showings last season and his poor performance on Sunday.
Worse than Sesko: Amorim must drop Man Utd flop who was "nowhere near it"
Manchester United should drop this flop who was even worse than Benjamin Sesko in the derby.
1 ByDan Emery Sep 14, 2025
The Uruguay international looks totally finished under Amorim on the evidence available so far, which is why Casemiro, Mason Mount, Mainoo, and Bruno Fernandes should play the bulk of the minutes available when fit and available ahead of him.
Glasgow Rangers are interested in bringing a “complete” player to Ibrox late in the transfer window.
More incomings and outgoings at Rangers before deadline
Russell Martin hasn’t had the start to life with the Gers he would’ve wanted, with new owners the 49ers Enterprises busy in the transfer window.
The deadline isn’t until Monday September 1, either, and with 10 new players already through the door, Martin is expecting more incomings and outgoings over the next week.
“There’ll be more players come in. There’ll be some players leave as well. There’s too many people here that are uncertain about their futures at the moment. It’s really difficult to be all in all the time when you have half an eye on what’s happening outside and it’s no fault of their own.
“There’s guys that have been really clear that their future’s not here are they’re slowly being resolved and they’re moving on and happy with what they’re going to do next and there are some guys who are sort of a bit in and a bit out, depending on what their agent tells them.
“The team would benefit from having some experienced players on the pitch that are used to the big occasion, that would be there to help their team-mates for sure.
“It’s something that we’ve been aware of since the start of the window. There was a guy were interested in really early on who would’ve bought fantastic leadership, who didn’t come here in the end so I think we’ve been looking for that type since then and now we have to find the right ones to add to the mix and help out the guys.”
Journalist reveals what he's heard about Russell Martin's Rangers future
Is the Gers boss already on his way out of Ibrox?
ByHenry Jackson Aug 22, 2025
In attack, Martin and the 49ers are yet to bring in a centre-forward, with wingers, Oliver Antman, Djeidi Gassama and Mikey Moore all moving to Glasgow.
Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane have remained at the club for now, and by the looks of things, a new striker is on the agenda at Ibrox.
Rangers keen on signing Bojan Miovski
According to Sky Sports on Saturday, Rangers are looking at a move for Girona striker Bojan Miovski.
It is claimed that Miovski is allowed to leave the La Liga club on loan, 12 months on after his £6.8m move to Spain from Aberdeen. Meanwhile, Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph said on X:
Called a “complete number 9” in the media before, Miovski played against Rangers on nine occasions during his time with Aberdeen and scored four goals vs the Gers.
Now, the £6m+ North Macedonia international could be on his way back to Scotland, this time starring at Ibrox.
KL Rahul has suggested Mohammed Shami and Rohit Sharma will be niggle-free and good to go in India’s last Champions Trophy group game, against New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday. India go into that match a week on from Shami having not bowled out against Pakistan because of trouble with his shin, and Rohit showing signs of wear in his hamstring – both players went off the field at various stages of Pakistan’s innings.”I don’t know too much but from whatever I know I think everything seems pretty okay,” Rahul said on Friday. “There’s no real concerns about anyone missing games as far as I know. We’ll probably know more in today’s training.”Yeah everyone’s been in the gym, everyone’s been at training the last time as well, so yeah [there were previously] some concerns but I don’t think it’s too much.”Related
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India, like New Zealand, go into this game knowing they have already qualified for the semi-finals. And for India, that semi-final will come two days later, on March 4. Will the short turnaround in games prompt India to rest anyone? “Luckily I am not in the leadership group to have to make that decision,” Rahul said. “But I am sure there will be some temptation and we have been in these positions before where, if there is an opportunity, you can try out the players who haven’t gotten games.”But I don’t know if that will happen in a Champions Trophy. And I don’t know if that will happen in tomorrow’s game. We only have one day’s break before the semi-finals [but] we have gotten a six-day break now. So, we probably want all of the players to play the game and get a little bit of time in the middle. This is my version. I don’t know, it might be very different tomorrow.”Rahul the batter was not needed against Pakistan, but in India’s first game, against Bangladesh, he made 41 not out off 47 from No. 6 to take the team home in a chase of 229 on a tricky Dubai track. He expects the pitch to continue to be tricky to bat on. “The wicket is slow. Going in, any new batter, he finds it very difficult to rotate the strike. The pace of the wicket is slightly different to the [preceding] England series we have played [in India]. So, it takes a little bit of time to get used to it.”But the good thing is that we have played in Dubai before. And we played on pitches like this. We had a fair understanding that when we come here, this will be the challenge. So we were mentally a little bit prepared and we came here a week early and the practice we were doing also had similar wickets. It just gave us a little bit of time to get used to it.”I think on such wickets, whoever is the set batter, the longer he plays, the better it is for the team. And that’s what gives you that extra 30-40 runs. Because if the wickets keep going, the new batters will find it a bit difficult.”KL Rahul has taken the gloves off Rishabh Pant in ODIs•MB Media/Getty Images
Rahul the keeper, meanwhile, knows he is keeping a certain Rishabh Pant out. While it does play on his mind, Rahul said it doesn’t change the way he plays his cricket. “There is [pressure] – I won’t lie. I mean, he’s obviously a very, very talented player and he’s shown all of us what he can do and how aggressive [he can be] and how quickly he can change the game.”So yes, there’s always the temptation for the team as well, whoever is the captain, the coach… There’s always that temptation to either play him or play me. There’s always that.”But yeah, for me, if I’m given the opportunity, I try and see what I can do best. I am not trying to compete with Rishabh or I am not trying to play like him. When he gets his opportunities I am sure he is not going to try to play like anybody else. He is picked on the basis of how he can play and what he can provide for the team and the same applies to me. So I try and do what I do best and try and stick to my game.”In his role as keeper, Rahul also had high praise for Shami. “Funnily, somehow, in every game he’ll make sure that I’m diving full-length,” Rahul quipped. “He gives me one or two opportunities to be brilliant behind the stumps or look stupid sometimes.”With wicketkeeping, I think [he’s] one of the few bowlers that the ball really wobbles. Him and sometimes Bumrah when he bowls in the second or third spell. So that’s been very challenging.”And yeah, [Shami is] very accurate. That’s something that not many people talk about. Everyone talks about how he’s gifted and how he can get the ball to seam in any condition and how upright his seam is. But not many people talk about how accurate he is and how sharp he is. He can surprise you with his pace. Just the other day in the nets he hit me straight in the [helmet] badge. So, all of these things make him a very difficult bowler to play against.”Really happy to have him back and I think he’s very close to his best.”
Players will wear black armbands in all three upcoming Sheffield Shield games while Hughes will also be remembered during the second Test
AAP22-Nov-2024
Phillip Hughes during the 2009 Ashes tour•PA Photos/Getty Images
Cricket Australia will fly flags at half-mast and black armbands will return to players’ uniforms as the sport prepares to mark the 10-year anniversary of Phillip Hughes’ death.Saturday’s Sheffield Shield round will begin two weeks of commemorations for Hughes, whose life was tragically cut short days before his 26th birthday in 2014.Officials have adopted a uniform approach across the board, with Hughes’ former team South Australia to face Western Australia in Adelaide from Saturday.Hughes’ childhood team New South Wales will also host Tasmania at the SCG from Sunday, while Queensland and Victoria play at the Gabba.Players will wear black armbands in all three games, while a moment’s silence will also be observed before play on day four of all matches.For the Sydney and Brisbane matches, Wednesday’s final day of play will coincide with the 10-year anniversary of Hughes’ death on November 27, 2014.Officials have opted to use the Adelaide Test between Australia and India as the best time to celebrate Hughes with the national team, while sharing their plans with his family.His passing will be marked when that match begins on December 6, almost 10 years to the day since Test cricket resumed in Australia after Hughes’ death. CA has filmed a documentary in conjunction with Hughes’ family to mark the occasion, which will be broadcast before play in that Test.Many column inches have also already been dedicated to the opener, who played 26 Tests for Australia and was earmarked as a long-term fixture in the side.”We understand this will be a time of reflection for the many people who knew and admired Phillip Hughes,” Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said. “We wanted to ensure that the Hughes family, particularly, were comfortable with any commemorations and that we celebrate Phillip’s life and incredible achievements appropriately.”Hughes’ death two days after he was struck in the neck by a ball at the SCG in 2014 remains one of the most difficult periods in cricket history. The Macksville junior was one of the most popular members of the national team, and remains close to the heart of several Australian players.Off the field, his legacy remains strong, with Hughes’ family still involved in his angus cattle farm Four 0 Eight on the NSW north coast.Cricket initially found itself at a loss of how to play on, with Hughes having been set to bat his way back into the Australian team when not out on 63 at the SCG.He was posthumously named as Australia’s 13th man for the rejigged first Test in Adelaide, where 63 seconds of applause were observed before play.
Chelsea’s have suffered another injury setback after midfielder Dario Essugo picked up a thigh problem while away with Portugal’s Under-21s. The Blues, already without several key players including Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill, will now be sweating on the youngster’s fitness ahead of their Premier League clash with Brentford after the conclusion of the international break.
Chelsea confirm fresh injury blow with Dario Essugo sidelined
Blues already missing Palmer, Colwill, Lavia, Delap and Badiashile
Setback adds pressure ahead of Brentford Premier League clash
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Essugo, who joined Chelsea from Sporting CP in June for £18.5 million, has been serving as an understudy to Moises Caicedo and was pushing for more minutes this season. He has so far only featured as a substitute at the Club World Cup. With injuries galore at Chelsea so far, it was expected that he would get minutes in the Premier League. However, the Portuguese FA has now confirmed that Essugo has suffered a muscle issue.
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WHAT PORTUGAL FA'S STATEMENT READ
The Portugal FA released a statement which read: “The Chelsea midfielder was excused from training due to a muscle problem in his right thigh, which he suffered after training. The athlete was evaluated by the Portuguese Football Federation’s Health and Performance Department and was declared unavailable.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Chelsea’s injury problems continue to mount, leaving Enzo Maresca short on depth. Colwill is already out long-term, while Palmer, Romeo Lavia, Liam Delap and Benoit Badiashile are also sidelined. Essugo’s absence could force the Blues to dig deeper into the squad if he isn't fit to at least feature on the bench against Brentford.
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WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?
Chelsea face Brentford in a west London derby this weekend and will assess Essugo’s condition before then. The Blues hope his setback is only short-term as they manage a growing fitness crisis. Maresca’s squad depth will be tested further if the midfielder is ruled out for longer.