The seven highly rated games injured Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata could miss

The summer signing from Real Madrid came off holding his thigh in Saturday’s Premier League defeat to Manchester City, though manager Antonio Conte initially suggested he had been withdrawn only as a precaution. 

But the injury is more serious than first realised, and typically requires four to six weeks to recover from, potentially ruling Morata out of an incredibly busy period of fixtures for Chelsea.

The Premier League champions takes on bottom-of-the-table Crystal Palace after the international break, the start of a run of seven games in 23 days – culminating in a title clash at the start of November…

Crystal Palace v Chelsea (PREM) – Saturday October 14 

Chelsea v Roma (UCL) – Wednesday October 18 

Chelsea v Watford (PREM) – Saturday October 21 

Chelsea v Everton (EFL) – Wednesday October 25 

Bournemouth v Chelsea (PREM) – Saturday October 28 

Roma v Chelsea (UCL) – Tuesday October 31 

Chelsea v Manchester United (PREM) – November 5 

Although Morata would have been unlikely to face Everton in the Carabao Cup, he will miss decisive back-to-back Champions League ties against Roma. 

The biggest blow will come on Bonfire Night, right at the end of Morata’s recovery timetable, when the Blues host Manchester United – a match they cannot afford to lose after dropping points to City already.