Chelsea have been dealt an injury blow after N'Golo Kante was forced to pull out of France's Euro 2020 qualifier against Iceland on Friday night.
Kante had been due to start the clash but picked up a muscle injury, believed to be a hamstring problem, during the warm-up.
The problem was serious enough for the midfielder to be replaced by Moussa Sissoko in the starting line-up, which could now leave Chelsea boss Frank Lampard with a defensive headache.
Kante has already missed several games this season after suffering a knee injury in the opening day defeat to Manchester United but recently returned to full fitness.
Since his comeback, the 28-year-old has been in fine form, scoring a stunning goal in the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool before finding the back of the net against Southampton.
The midfielder has operated in a box-to-box role after forming an exciting trio in Chelsea's engine room alongside Jorginho and Mason Mount.
However, his latest injury problem means he now faces a race to be fit for the club's next fixture; a home clash against Newcastle United on October 19th.
If he isn't fit, Lampard could replace him with Ross Barkley or Mateo Kovacic, who were both named on the bench for last weekend's 4-1 win at Southampton.