Graham Potter has confirmed in his Chelsea pre-match press conference that N’golo Kante, Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta will be unavailable for Sunday’s game against Tottenham.
The Blues are finally starting to see the majority of their stricken first team stars return after various injuries have plagued through the squad.
Recent weeks have seen the likes of Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Raheem Sterling all return, with the former duo instantly being thrown back in as starters when possible.
When resting James against Southampton, Azpilicueta picked up a nasty concussion, seeing him stretchered off the Stamford Bridge field.
Therefore, it is no surprise to hear from Potter that he is one of the three first team players that are not available for selection.
He said: “He’s [Azpilicueta] as ok as can be when you’ve had that concussion. He won’t be ready for the weekend as we have to go through the protocols, but he’s doing well.
Potter confirms injury news
“We’ve had a good week training. Everyone is available apart from N’Golo and Christian Pulisic.”
Both Kante and Pulisic have been seen back in training this week, with the Frenchman not featuring on the pitch since August.
Ironically, his last appearance was against Spurs, when the team and staff at the club all looked very different.
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
With some at Chelsea hoping the 31-year-old is the answer to their issue of their desire to find a long-term partner for Enzo Fernandez, his return will be a major boost to Potter.
Pulisic has also not been handed an opportunity to shine since a host of new January signings threatened to make his place in the side impossible to recover.
He will likely be fighting with Mykhailo Mudryk for a spot on the left of Chelsea’s attack when he’s back.
