Chelsea and England midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is set to be out for the rest of the month as he battles to recover fully from a back injury.
The 22-year-old left the pitch in tears just before half-time in their 2-0 FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Loftus-Cheek has battled back issues throughout his career and this latest problem kept him out of recent clashes against Watford and Crystal Palace.
The midfielder had hoped he would be fully fit for the FA Cup third-round clash but is now set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines.
'It's not good. I have been struggling with it for the last few weeks. I'm going to have to take some proper time out to make sure it heals properly. I'm gutted,' he said.
The injury is a blow for Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri, whose side still have five matches to play this month - including a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham.
One of Sarri's assistants, former keeper Carlo Cudicini, said: 'We are very sorry for the kid (Loftus-Cheek) to be honest. His impact on the games he played so far has been very good.
'It's something that is affecting him and something we need to look at resolving. Obviously, it's been going on for a while and now he will probably have to stop for a bit to try to resolve it.
