Frank Lampard press conference: FOUR Chelsea players ruled out of Ajax Champions League clash, including Ross

Ross Barkley, N’Golo Kante, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger will play no part in Chelsea’s Champions League game at Ajax on Wednesday.

Midfielder Barkley sustained an ankle injury during their win over Newcastle on Saturday.

Kante suffered a groin injury while on international duty with France, but was still included on the bench for the second game of a double-header, much to the annoyance of Frank Lampard.

The Blues manager expects to be without centre-back Christensen for around two weeks after he sustained a hamstring injury playing for Denmark.

Rudiger has returned to training following a groin problem but the game came too soon for the German defender and he did not travel with the squad.

You can listen to full commentary of Ajax vs Chelsea LIVE on talkSPORT on Wednesday, kick-off 5:55pm.

Lampard gave an update on the injury situation at a pre-match press conference at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam.

He said: “Ross will hopefully be fit to train by Thursday. Rudiger trained with us today, he will be out of contention for the weekend [against Burnley].

“N’Golo is similarly training but we’ll see for the weekend.”

Chelsea are currently third in Group H, having recorded one win and one defeat from their opening two games and trail Ajax by three points.

The likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic are in contention to start the match.

And Lampard called on his young players to make the most of the ‘tiny moments’ against last season’s semi-finalists.

Lampard said: “I think for all the young players, the extra level that the Champions League is, in terms of detail, focus, concentration for 90 minutes, making the most of tiny moments, will be a test for all the young players, not just Callum.

“I have selection problems and they’re good ones when people come on and make a difference.

“That’s what we have to be about if we want to be a team that is competing at the top end.”

The Blues are unbeaten in their last five outings and Lampard heaped praise on Hudson-Odoi, who is nearing a return to the sharpness he showed before he got injured last season.

Lampard added: “I thought his performance against Newcastle showed huge signs of what we want to see.

“We know the talent there. It’s great his contract is signed now, weeks ago.

“I thought the problems he gave Newcastle consistently were things that I really want to see from him which are end product, delivery into the box, getting at people, running behind people, all those things are what we all know Callum has as a young talent.”