Chelsea boss Graham Potter confirms the return of Raheem Sterling from injury
Speaking to the media ahead of the Southampton game (h/t Chelsea website), Chelsea boss Graham Potter confirmed that Raheem Sterling is back in contention to return to the squad and play some part in the game.
After returning from a hamstring injury he suffered against Manchester City in January in the home game against Fulham two weeks ago, Sterling missed the last two games due to a knock he suffered in the training.
As a result of that, the Blues did not have the experience and quality of the Englishman in the away games against West Ham United and Borussia Dortmund.
But, it seems like the 28-year-old is back fit and available. On the other hand, Ben Chilwell left the field against Dortmund in some pain. However, Potter believes the left-back will be in the squad for the weekend as well.
Here’s what the boss said (h/t Chelsea website):
“It’s positive. We’re going to train later on this afternoon, so providing they come through that okay there’s a good chance they’ll be in the squad.
“With Ben the challenge for us at the moment is managing his return. He had 30 minutes against West Ham, 60 minutes against Dortmund, so the decision will be based on how he recovers today and how he reports.”
Despite having a plethora of options in the forward line, Chelsea do lack a goal scorer in their line-up. Although Sterling is not an out-and-out striker, he does possess experience in scoring bucketloads of goals, especially during his Manchester City days.
We have seen Kai Havertz struggling to contribute much playing in that number nine position. This could be an opportunity for Potter to start with Chelsea in that position. The Englishman has played there before and knows where the goal is.
With the creative power of the likes of Joao Felix, Hakim Ziyech, Reece James and co. behind, Sterling is bound to get enough chances to score goals.
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- “No excuses”- Chelsea star takes accountability following Dortmund setback
The game on Saturday is a must-win for us. It is a home game against a manager-less Southampton. With the London derby against Tottenham Hotspur coming up next weekend, let’s go into that game on the back of a victory.
