Chelsea manager Graham Potter has been hit with a double blow ahead of the Blues’ Champions League clash against Milan tonight.
What’s the latest?
Taking to the pre-match press conference on Monday, the 47-year-old issued an update on the fitness of his squad, with two unfortunate admissions coming as a result.
Speaking on N’Golo Kante’s status, Potter revealed that the club were awaiting additional news on the France international after he suffered a setback in training.
As per Chelsea’s official website, the manager said: “On N’Golo Kante, we are waiting on a reaction in training, and we’re waiting for the news on that. It is not ideal, and certainly disappointing for both him and for us. So we have to wait and see the extent and then go from there.”
To make matters worse, Hakim Ziyech will definitely miss out on the match at the San Siro due to illness.
Speaking on the Moroccan’s omission from the squad, Potter stated: “Hakim is ill. Hakim has a sore throat and that is why he has not travelled.”
Other than that, Wesley Fofana will not be involved tonight as he recovers from a knee sprain that he sustained in the win against Milan at Stamford Bridge last Wednesday.
The ex-Leicester City defender will be out for a few weeks but will be hoping to get some much-needed minutes before the World Cup in just under six weeks’ time.
Double setback
With Kante and Ziyech suffering setbacks ahead of the clash against Milan, they will both be hurting on a personal level.
Kante, who has been injured since the 2-2 draw against Antonio Conte’s Tottenham on 14 August, continues to endure a frustrating start to the campaign, having featured in just two Premier League matches due to his ongoing injury struggles.
The France international is well into the final year of his contract, and amidst ongoing concerns around his fitness, he is running out of time to prove that he can still be a regular participant under the new regime at Stamford Bridge.
Ziyech will also be hurting, as his illness will deprive him of vital Champions League minutes in what would have been an opportunity to assert himself in Potter’s plans.
The Moroccan has played just 12 minutes under the new boss, with his four-minute runout against Wolves suggesting that he would have been granted some game-time tonight had he been available for a recall to the starting line-up.
Whilst the 29-year-old is in a better place than Kante in terms of his contract situation, he too may fear that he is running out of time to prove himself to Potter before the 47-year-old finds his so-called ‘strongest XI’.
While neither has featured much throughout the current campaign, therefore hinting that Chelsea could manage in their absence, it goes without saying that the Chelsea boss would welcome extra depth options, especially in the midfield.
