Juan Mata Injury: Updates on Chelsea Star's Hamstring

Chelsea has received a huge blow to its offense as it will be without star midfielder Juan Mata for the near future.

The club's official website announced that the Spanish native is unlikely to play Saturday against Swansea:

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Roberto Di Matteo reports that Juan Mata (hamstring) and David Luiz (ankle) are major injury doubts for Saturday afternoon's game away to Swansea.

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To say that Mata is a big part of the team is an understatement. He currently is tied with teammate Eden Hazard for the league lead in assists. He is also leads Chelsea with seven goals scored across all competitions.

According to WhoScored.com, Mata is one of the most efficient players in the English Premier League. Over the course of the year, he is second only to Arsenal's Santi Cazorla with a 7.73 average rating.

Chelsea currently holds only a one-point lead in the EPL over Manchester United and Manchester City. Last week's loss to Manchester United did not help, but things could get much worse if Mata is forced to miss much time.

While there are a number of very talented players on the club, the midfielder is the player that pushes most of the action on the offensive end. His vision and intelligence is as important to his success as his physical skills.

Without him, the attack will be less effective.

Swansea City has been surprisingly good this year and has the ability to pull the upset at home. However, the more crucial match could be next week's Champions League battle against Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Ukrainians already have a home win against Chelsea, and another one could damage the club's chances to defend its title.

Hopefully for Chelsea, Mata's hamstring injury is considered minor and should allow the key player to return to the pitch before long.

Check back for further updates on the midfielder. 

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