Which Chelsea players will be going to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations? The tournament gets underway in the Ivory Coast on January 13th with various Premier League players set to be away from their clubs for up to five weeks.
The Blues have endured a topsy-turvey season so far and the timing of the AFCON is not ideal for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, with a potential eight fixtures to entertain.
The west Londoners have FA and EFL Cup games as well as standard Premier League matches to navigate between the start and the end of the tournament on February 11th.
Which players will be away from Stamford Bridge during the 2023 AFCON? Let’s take a look…
Chelsea Players Away At AFCON
Despite having a number of players either born in Africa or hold dual-citizenship with an African nation, there’s just the one Chelsea star who will be jetting off to the Ivory Coast for the 2023 tournament.
Nicolas Jackson is the Blues sole representative and he will be vying to help Senegal retain their title they won in 2021, where they beat Egypt in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw in normal time.
Nobody has scored more goals for Mauricio Pochettino’s side this season than Jackson but with Christopher Nkunku back to full fitness, the Frenchman is a seemingly able replacement.
Several other top-flight sides will be missing a number of players over the next five weeks, which you can read about here in our team-by-team guide.
El Hadji Diouf training Nicolas Jackson#AFCON2023
pic.twitter.com/fWzvdKxixC— Eric Njiru (@EricNjiiru) January 3, 2024
What Chelsea Games Will Nicolas Jackson Miss?
Reigning champions Senegal are expected to go far in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations so it’s likely Nicolas Jackson will miss the majority of Chelsea’s games whilst the tournament is on.
However, nothing is guaranteed in football and if the Lions of Teranga were to suffer a shock group stage exit, Jackson would return to Cobham on or around January 25th.
Therefore, he would only miss the FA Cup 3rd round clash against Preston, the two EFL Cup semi-final games against Middlesbrough and the Premier League fixture against west London rivals Fulham.
If Senegal were to go all the way to the final, Jackson would also miss the potential 4th round FA Cup tie, as well as the league fixtures against Liverpool, Wolves and Crystal Palace.
Chelsea’s Schedule During AFCON
- 6th January vs Preston (H) – FA Cup 3rd round
- 9th January vs Middlesbrough (A) – EFL Cup SF 1st leg
- 13th January vs Fulham (H) – Premier League
- 23rd January vs Middlesbrough (H) – EFL Cup SF 2nd leg
- 27th January – FA Cup 4th round
- 31st January vs Liverpool (A) – Premier League
- 4th February vs Wolves (H) – Premier League
- 12th February vs Crystal Palace – Premier League
NOTE: The best UK betting sites have all of the latest 2023 AFCON odds, enhanced accas, price boosts and player markets.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
