Barcelona move closer to landing Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
According to Football.london, Thomas Tuchel has issued the latest injury update on the Chelsea squad in his pre-match press conference ahead of their game against LOSC Lille. His side will travel to Stade Pierre Mauroy to face off against the current Ligue 1 holders in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 clash tomorrow.
Coming into this game, the Blues have been subjected to several injury concerns, but they have been handed some positive updates as well. Marcos Alonso had made the bench against Newcastle United in the previous fixture, but he was unused due to just returning to the fray. Cesar Azpilicueta was out with stomach issues, but both of them are ready to start the match tomorrow.
Reece James had picked up muscular problems, having suffered a “re-injury” following his recovery from the long term hamstring setback. Callum Hudson-Odoi has been struggling with an Achilles issue, and both of them are in a race against time to get back into contention to feature in the CL knockout round.
“Marcos is ready to start. Azpi is ready to start. [Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi] We will try to have them later in training but it will be a very, very tight race. This decision we will take later, after the training session but as you know they were not involved and the injuries they had. Let’s see if it is worth the risk or if it’s even possible. It will be very, very tight.”
The return of Alonso and Azpilicueta would give us a major boost in the match tomorrow. We cannot underestimate the threat that the hosts will pose tomorrow, even if we have a two-goal lead in the tie. As such, it is good to have two of our players who can play as wing-backs return to the squad tomorrow.
We did not have any players who had enough experience playing as wing-backs on either side of the pitch against Newcastle United. Now, Alonso can offer an option on the left side, whereas Azpilicueta can do the same on the opposite end. However, it remains to be seen if the German coach will start them or not tomorrow.
That being said, we would undoubtedly miss the quality that James would provide to our team. Even if he makes it in time, we must be wary of relapse and it would be best if he is limited to a few minutes in the end. With Azpilcueta ready to start the game, we have even more reason to follow that route.
It is sad to see the current light of Hudson-Odoi as he lost all the momentum and promise he showcased before suffering the blow. Let’s hope that he can make a quick recovery and continue from where he left off. Lille would be playing at their home stadium and would look to take advantage of their atmosphere to push for a comeback.
Tuchel must demand the players to play with intensity from the get-go to prevent any opportunity for an upset. Only time will give us an answer about the outcome of this match. Let’s hope that we are the ones to qualify for the next round as we try to retain our CL title.
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