Chelsea dealt another blow as Jose Mourinho provides injury update ahead of Stoke

The 29-year-old missed the win over Dynamo Kiev in mid-week after pulling up in the warm up.

And manager Jose Mourinho has ruled him out for the weekend, while he could face a number of weeks on the sidelines.

There were also doubts over the fitness of Branislav Ivanovic but he insists the defender could play some part.

“Falcao is injured and will be for a few weeks,” Mourinho said.

“Courtois is still out but we have no more problems.

“Ivanovic is good and available.”

While Falcao has struggled since signing on loan in the summer, it represents a blow for the misfiring Blues nonetheless. 

The Colombian's goalscoring problems - he has one Premier League goal in 10 appearances - might not suggest he will be widely missed.

However, Mourinho's side need all the fire power they can muster, as just 16 goals in 11 games leaves them languishing 15th in the table.

They will already be wothout their boss, who is serving a one-match stadium ban.