Mateo Kovacic unlikely to return vs Leicester. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
According to Football.London, Chelsea have received two setbacks in the form of Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech, picking up injury blows ahead of the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool. Both of them had to be substituted in the second half of the Blues’ 2-0 win over Lille at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie.
The Chelsea duo had to be brought off before the hour mark had even passed as they limped off the field. Kovacic struggled to get going following a line-breaking run into the French side’s defence. He could not carry on much longer after that and was eventually substituted for Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Zieych followed suit as he dropped to the pitch, even though he was not seen to run into any issues beforehand. He tried to brush off the knock but was unable to do so and was eventually taken off for Saul Niguez. Both these problems need to be diagnosed to get an idea about their availability for Sunday’s EFL Cup final.
These setbacks could not have come at a worse time for us, given how well we had been doing in recent weeks. Injury issues earlier this season derailed our bid for the PL title but we have done well to get our season back on track.
Kovacic has arguably been one of our best players this season, and his availability could go a long way in helping us get the better of the Reds. Ziyech, on the other hand, has been terrific over the past couple of weeks, especially after being snubbed by Morocco for their AFCON journey in January.
Thomas Tuchel addressed the injury concerns in the post-match press conference but did not provide any definitive updates. He is hopeful, just like us, that the Blues duo could make it in time for the League Cup final that will take place at the Wembley Stadium.
“I don’t know on the injuries just yet. I should have substituted Kova earlier, perhaps at half-time, so we could have saved a change. I didn’t see Hakim’s injury and I haven’t spoken to the doctor for an update just yet.”
Fans will now undertake a nervous wait until the Carabao Cup final as they wait to hear the latest on our midfield duo’s respective injuries. We do have a strong squad at our disposal for moments like this, but with Reece James and Ben Chilwell already struggling with fitness issues of their own, the last thing we need is for two more first-team players to join them on the sidelines.
Kai Havertz started for Romelu Lukaku at centre-forward in the win against Lille. The German can always drop behind or beside the big Belgian striker if Ziyech becomes unavailable for selection, while Jorginho and N’Golo Kante’s double pivot is a solid partnership to rely on.
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