Chelsea have been handed an injury boost ahead of the FA Cup final against Liverpool.
The Reds take on Chelsea in the final of the prestigious cup competition at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Liverpool saw off Manchester City in their semi-final, while Chelsea beat Crystal Palace.
Jurgen Klopp’s side go into the game on the back of a rather hectic 2-1 win over Aston Villa. That Premier League victory came at the cost of midfielder Fabinho, who has picked up a hamstring injury.
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The Brazilian has already been ruled out for the FA Cup final, and is facing a race against time to be fit for the Champions League final at the end of the month. For Chelsea, though, they have been handed a welcome boost on the injury front.
As cited by our colleagues at football.london, N’Golo Kante has returned to training after a spell on the sidelines. The France international had missed Chelsea’s last three league fixtures with an unspecified injury, but appears to be back in contention to feature against Liverpool.
Chelsea are also sweating over the fitness of Mateo Kovacic for the final against Liverpool. The midfielder was forced off with an ankle injury during the win over Leeds United after a red card challenge from Dan James, and Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said he did not expect Kovacic to recover in time to face Liverpool.
"I tell you, not as a coach, not as an expert, but I think it's very unlikely we see him [in the cup final],” said Tuchel on Wednesday night. “Once Mateo goes out, he never goes out. He played in the semi-final of the FA Cup with the same injury and played another 15 minutes, which is almost impossible.
"He has a swollen ankle and is in a lot of pain. I'm not a doctor, and we need to wait for the examinations, but it's very unlikely. It's absolutely bad news on a perfect evening."
