Chelsea will again be without skipper John Terry for the visit to Hull - and midfielder John Obi Mikel is ruled out with a slight 'muscular' injury.
But everyone else is expected to right the wrongs of two Premier League defeats on the spin - including an abject 3-0 defeat to Arsenal last weekend.
Last February, Fulham head coach Slavisa Jokanovic insisted he was no 'David Copperfield' - the magician and not the Dickens character - and Antoni Conte now claims he has no magic wand either.
Chelsea are winless in three Premier League games, sit eighth, and are already eight points off leaders Manchester City, and their manager insists he has a task on his hands to rebuild from last season.
"We finished 10th last season, and I have no magic wand - it's about working hard to make success," Conte said.
The Blues boss added that even if he did have money to spend in January to add to his faltering squad, now was the time to move up the table with the players at his disposal.
"We faced two teams very strong (in the last two games) - and these two teams are at the top," Conte said. "Money to spend? We must think right now, January is very long (away), but we must continue to change the story of last season.
"John Terry has not recovered from of his (ankle) injury. Maybe after the international break, Mikel is also out with muscular problem small problem - all the other players available."
The Chelsea boss had a word about the demise of England manager Sam Allardyce amid corruption claims on third party payments.
After all, Italy and his homeland are no stranger to the same dark headlines.
"I think that it's important to know the truth," Conte said. "To know all the information - is very important," he added, in what appeared to be a comment on the pressure being heaped on the Daily Telegraph to release full transcripts of their undercover stings that also involved QPR head coach Jimmy Floyd asselbaink.
