Chelsea could have N’Golo Kante return from injury for Brighton clash
According to football.london, Chelsea ace N’Golo Kante was pictured in training on Tuesday and could return from injury for the game against Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday night.
The Blues are set to take on the Seagulls later tonight. Thomas Tuchel and co have played a lot of football this season and have done well. Chelsea are still fighting on five fronts, but we have had to pay the price for doing so.
Covid-19 and injury issues have derailed our title challenge, but it was encouraging to see some key men back in the 3-1 victory against Aston Villa on Boxing Day. However, it was a concern when N’Golo Kante was taken off the pitch just after the hour mark. Tuchel confirmed after the game that the Frenchman was suffering some distress.
Thus, few would have expected him to be fielded against Graham Potter and co on Wednesday. But to the delight of Chelsea fans, the 30-year-old formed part of training on Tuesday and could be in contention for the mid-week tie.
Most important player?
The French international initially picked up a knock against Juventus last month. In his absence, the Blues only managed to win twice out of six games. We may have drawn the game against Wolves, but his presence made a difference. The Carabao Cup tie against Brentford also turned on its head once he was brought off the bench.
Kante also held the fort down for quite a while at Villa Park on Sunday. Thus, he is arguably one of the most prized assets in the squad. But he is only human and at his age, 3 games in the space of 9 days, especially when he is returning from injury, is a lot to ask for. Moreover, Tuchel might not be up for starting him against Brighton.
There is the risk of aggravating his knock. A long-term injury is the last thing the Blues would be craving following the confirmation that Ben Chilwell will undergo surgery, which is likely to keep him out until the end of the campaign.
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Tuchel needs to manage the game-time of his stars carefully. Saul Niguez has been good in the past two weeks, while Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic also look fit to play. Trevoh Chalobah could also deputize in the midfield line. Hence, there are some alternatives to Kante, but it will not be a surprise if he starts or even comes off the bench to secure all three points.
With all due respect to the Seagulls, they are not the force that Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are. It’s better if we ease Kante into the first-team and ensure that he is fit enough to feature against the 2019/20 Premier League champions in a few days’ time.
