Chelsea played out a highly entertaining and dramatic 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the London derby last weekend, but a return to winning ways is now at the top of the agenda for Thomas Tuchel’s side as they aim to continue their unbeaten start.
The Blues gave home debuts to summer signings Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella and Raheem Sterling against their visitors on Sunday, but Mateo Kovacic missed out and N’Golo Kante limped off through injury, leaving Tuchel to sweat over the pair’s fitness as a result.
Here is all you need to know about the current state of play at Stamford Bridge and the expected return dates for those out injured.
N’Golo Kante
French midfield machine N’Golo Kante has started both of Chelsea ’s two Premier League games this season and put in another impressive shift in last weekend’s draw with Tottenham before he was forced off through injury with five minutes to go.
Following a collision with Yves Bissouma in the 84th minute, Kante required on-field treatment from Chelsea’s physio, before he was eventually hauled off after being unable to continue.
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Speaking on August 14, following the game, Tuchel said: “It seems like a muscle injury, a hamstring. He said he feels it pretty strong, so not good.”
It has since been revealed that Kante could be out for up to a month with the hamstring issue, and he will therefore miss this weekend’s trip to face Leeds at Elland Road. However, Tuchel will be expected to provide a fresh update on the midfielder later on this week.
Mateo Kovacic
Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic was left out of last weekend’s London derby after picking up a knee injury, and has since required treatment for the issue that is expected to keep him out of action for the foreseeable future.
Kovacic was an unused substitute in his side’s opening weekend victory away to Everton on August 6, but failed to make the squad altogether for the visit of Spurs as a result of the knee issue, with Tuchel revealing that he had picked up a reaction.
Speaking on August 12, Tuchel said: “Unfortunately, with his knee, there has been a reaction. We decided to take a step back, to increase treatment time to reduce the stress that comes from training.”
Like Kante, Kovacic is ruled out whilst his treatment takes place, and will therefore not be a part of the squad that travels to Leeds on Sunday. It can be expected that Tuchel will provide a more up-to-date assessment of the midfielder in due course.
