Why is Christian Pulisic not playing for Chelsea against Juventus in the Champions League?

Christian Pulisic is a key member of both the U.S. Men's National Team as well as Chelsea, continuing to impress on home turf as well as in the Premier League.

But the 23-year-old is set to miss out on facing off against Juventus in the highly-anticipated Champions League Group H fixture on Wednesday September 29 - which could also mean that his participation in the USMNT's international fixtures in October is at risk.

So why is Pulisic not playing against Juventus? Goal takes a look.

Why is Christian Pulisic not playing against Juventus?

Pulisic is unavailable to feature against Juventus in the Champions League due to an injury.

The forward picked up an ankle problem during the USMNT's World Cup 2022 qualifier against Honduras on September 8, and he has not played since.

Tuchel had hoped to have the 23-year-old back much sooner, but the Chelsea manager has confirmed that he will be out of the squad to face the Italian giants.

What has Thomas Tuchel said?

"Christian [Pulisic], Reece [James] and Mason [Mount] are out due to injury," Tuchel said, speaking to reporters in his press conference on Tuesday.

He added as part of Chelsea's injury round-up: "Unfortunately, N'Golo [Kante] tested positive and needs his time to follow the government protocols. He was not in training today, of course, because of Covid."

On the availability of James, Tuchel stated: "It's still very painful, and it will come down to pain management in the end, how much he can accept, but right now we are looking at a minimum of one more week."

How many games will Christian Pulisic miss?

Neither Tuchel or Chelsea have issued a time frame for when Pulisic is expected to return to fitness, but it's safe to say that his participation in upcoming USMNT games remains a doubt.

On top of missing the massive Champions League game against Juventus, Pulisic now faces the possibility of having to sit out on a handful of World Cup 2022 qualifiers taking place during the October international break. The USMNT are due to play against Jamaica, Panama and Costa Rica in the next round of qualifying matches.

The midfielder donned the captain's armband in two USMNT fixtures last month, and is a pivotal figure of the team.

Pulisic not featuring for the Juventus game, however, could also be a measure of caution taken by Chelsea, as the American has an infamous track record with injuries.

Having kicked off the 2021-22 season strongly by netting a penalty during Chelsea's Super Cup victory over Villarreal and scoring against Crystal Palace on the opening day of the Premier League, Pulisic hasn't made an appearance for the Stamford Bridge side since August.