Five Chelsea games Nicolas Jackson may miss as AFCON announcement hits Mauricio Pochettino plan
Chelsea, and numerous other Premier League clubs, will be without some big names this winter with the Africa Cup of Nations kicking off in January
Nicolas Jackson may have pulled out of Senegal’s squad for the international break to undergo treatment on a wrist issue, but the Chelsea forward will have his ear to the ground for the latest developments for the Lions of Teranga. The Blues striker will miss a friendly match against Cameroon have undergone surgery, having worn a support bandage in recent matches.
The operation is not expected to keep him out long as Chelsea prepare for their Premier League match against Arsenal when domestic football returns, but he has not joined up with Aliou Cisse’s squad on this occasion. While he misses no qualifying match, all Senegal eyes will be awaiting the next step in their African Cup of Nations campaign.
Thursday night sees the draw for the competition made and Jackson will discover who his team will face in the tournament which gets underway in January. Senegal, current AFCON champions after Edouard Mendy helped them to the title in 2022, will hope to retain their title and make the final day of the competition on February 11th.
Nicolas Jackson to discover Chelsea disruption as AFCON fate revealed after Senegal absence
Nicolas Jackson is currently recovering from a wrist issue during the international break ahead of Chelsea’s match with Arsenal upon the Premier League’s return
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ByScott TrotterChelsea writer
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Nicolas Jackson celebrates scoring the team’s fourth goal during the English Premier League football match between Burnley and Chelsea
Nicolas Jackson celebrates scoring the team’s fourth goal during the English Premier League football match between Burnley and Chelsea (Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP)
Nicolas Jackson may have pulled out of Senegal’s squad for the international break to undergo treatment on a wrist issue, but the Chelsea forward will have his ear to the ground for the latest developments for the Lions of Teranga. The Blues striker will miss a friendly match against Cameroon have undergone surgery, having worn a support bandage in recent matches.
The operation is not expected to keep him out long as Chelsea prepare for their Premier League match against Arsenal when domestic football returns, but he has not joined up with Aliou Cisse’s squad on this occasion. While he misses no qualifying match, all Senegal eyes will be awaiting the next step in their African Cup of Nations campaign.
Thursday night sees the draw for the competition made and Jackson will discover who his team will face in the tournament which gets underway in January. Senegal, current AFCON champions after Edouard Mendy helped them to the title in 2022, will hope to retain their title and make the final day of the competition on February 11th.
On that occasion, the former Chelsea goalkeeper stood firm as Senegal defeated Egypt in the final of the competition. Mendy provided the save from Mohanad Lasheen, which allowed Sadio Mane to score the winning penalty after 120 goalless minutes.
With this edition of the tournament held in Côte d’Ivoire, the draw will take place in the same country at Parc Des Expositions in Abidjan with Senegal awaiting their fate. Unsurprisingly, Jackson’s side are in pot one for the draw, alongside other giants in the shape of Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt.
Their opponents will be drawn from:
Pot 2: Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, DR Congo
Pot 3: South Africa, Cape Verde, Guinea, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania
Pot 4: Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, Gambia, Tanzania
Chelsea should not see much disruption outside of Jackson’s absence should he be selected. The former Villarreal forward has four caps after making his Senegal debut less than a year ago, and produced assists against Brazil and Benin in that time.
The Blues loan army could provide further representation in the competition if Hakim Ziyech and David Datro Fofana made the squads for Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire respectively.
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