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Trailing 3-1 and badly in need of offensive firepower against Tottenham on Sunday, in the 88th minute Antonio Conte brought on... 17 year-old Callum Hudson-Odoi. Where was Pedro?
At Thursday’s press conference Conte said that Thibaut Courtois and Andreas Chistensen would be game-day decisions. (AC played, TeeBo did not.) Not a whisper about Pedro. Yet on Sunday, not only was the diminutive Spanish forward not in the first eleven, he wasn’t even on the bench.
What happened? Friday happened.
Conte confirmed to Sky Italia that Pedro picked up an injury in Friday's training session, hence his absence yesterday. I'm also told Hudson-Odoi was included on the bench despite a minor heel problem #cfc
— Liam Twomey (@liam_twomey) April 2, 2018
Liam Twomey’s tweet points to an interview given to Sky Italia, in which Conte confirms that Pedro was stopped by a “physical problem” while Davide Zappacosta is nursing a “tendon” ailment that has actually been “dragging on for a while”. There is no prognosis given on either’s return.
Pedro has seven goals on the season and scored the winner against Leicester in the FA Cup just before the break. With Chelsea not exactly overflowing with goals at the moment — just seven in their last seven matches, going scoreless twice in that stretch — Pedro’s absence will be felt. Let’s hope his injury is nothing serious and that he’s fit for a revitalized West Ham on Sunday.