Lampard: Abraham out of West Ham game

CHELSEA striker Tammy Abraham is in “pain” and will miss today’s Premier League fixture with West Ham after suffering a hip injury against Valencia, head coach Frank Lampard has said.

Abraham fell awkwardly while competing for a corner in the 2-2 Champions League draw with Valencia on Wednesday, and was eventually stretchered down the tunnel.

Asked if the 22-year-old could return for West Ham’s visit to Stamford Bridge, Lampard replied: “He’s got some pain so won’t be involved tomorrow and we’ll see by Monday.”

However, Lampard is confident he can trust his other strikers, Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshayi, to step up and replace Abraham.

He said: “It’s a squad game over the course of the season. The lads have been training well no matter how many minutes they’re getting.

“Every day is a work day so when opportunities come they’re ready, so I’ve got all confidence in them.”

Batshuayi has been Lampard’s preferred choice off the bench recently, with five goals in all competitions this season, and insists he is impressed by the Belgian who has previously struggled for minutes at Chelsea.

When asked about Batshayi, Lampard responded: “[He brings] a work ethic, a quality. It’s not easy when you’re not playing as many minutes as you want.

“Every one of my players wants to play every minute of every game and obviously with Tammy’s form, that’s meant that he’s played a lot of the minutes. But that can change now Tammy has his injury.”