Chelsea confirms Madueke out one month but Maresca still targets top-four finish

LONDON (AP) — Chelsea is set to be without injured winger Noni Madueke for its next four Premier League games as it makes a push for a top-four finish.

The 22-year-old Madueke, who has scored seven goals in 23 league appearances this season, sustained a hamstring injury in Chelsea's 3-0 loss to Brighton a week ago.

“Noni probably will be out until the international break,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said Friday at a press conference.

Chelsea was already without striker Nicolas Jackson, the team's second-leading scorer with nine league goals, because of a hamstring problem.

Chelsea plays at Aston Villa on Saturday, followed by home games against Southampton and Leicester before a trip to Arsenal on March 16. After the international break, the Blues host Tottenham on April 2.

They also will have a two-legged round-of-16 tie against Copenhagen next month in the UEFA Conference League.

In the Premier League, Maresca's team is in sixth place, tied on points with fifth-place Bournemouth.

Chelsea, which had been as high as second this season, had 70% possession but couldn’t put a shot on goal against Brighton.

“Now it's a bad run. We need to deal with that,” Maresca said. “Now we have just 13 games to go. For sure now the target for us is to finish top four.”

A top-four finish clinches a Champions League spot but a fifth-place finish might do it, too, with the Premier League set to pick up an extra slot based on countries’ overall records in European competitions.

“Winning the seven (remaining games) at home can be enough to finish top four,” Maresca said. “So it's a motivation for them.”

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