Victor Moses ‘struggling’ with fitness, ‘doubtful’ for Chelsea’s Stoke City trip

Victor Moses appeared to be favoring a leg as he walked off the pitch Monday night against Manchester United, and according to the Evening Standard, that concern is very much a real thing ahead of Saturday’s match at Stoke City.

Right wing-back Victor Moses suffered a calf problem against Manchester United on Monday and is struggling to make the trip to the Britannia Stadium.

-source: Evening Standard

Moses is already being reported as doubtful for Nigeria’s games in the upcoming international break, but if the wing-back is forced to miss time for Chelsea as well, we could be looking at a crucial reshuffle of the otherwise settled, consistent, and generally unbeatable backline.

Antonio Conte is due to address the media in a few hours, so he might shed some light on Moses’s situation. If he’s unable to go, presumably it would be César Azpilicueta who deputizes for him, with Kurt Zouma slotting in as the right-sided center back. Azpilicueta is nowhere near the attacking threat that Moses is and Zouma provides nowhere near the comfort level that Azpilicueta does in that role, so hopefully Conte’s got something good up his sleeves should Moses be forced to miss extended time.