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.

Chelsea confirms Madueke out one month but Maresca still targets top-4 finish | iNFOnews.ca — Chelsea’s Noni Madueke walks off the pitch after an injury during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Chelsea in Brighton, England, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

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.