Chelsea make their return to action this weekend when they take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park as Graham Potter prepares to oversee his first Premier League game in charge of the Blues.
Luckily for the former Brighton & Hove Albion manager, his stars have come through the international break relatively unscathed, although he could still remain without two important first team players on Saturday if they fail to make full recoveries in time to feature.
Here is all you need to know about the current state of play at Stamford Bridge and the expected return dates of those on the sidelines.
Edouard Mendy
No.1 goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has missed Chelsea ’s last two fixtures with a knee injury, although he still remained on the substitutes bench for both of those UEFA Champions League clashes with Dinamo Zagreb and RB Salzburg.
Mendy was called up for Senegal’s international squad this month, but withdrew after failing to return to full fitness in time, and instead continued his recovery with the Blues over the past fortnight. On Monday, he returned to first team training at Cobham.
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It was initially thought that he is only a minor doubt for this weekend and should be fit enough for the short trip across the capital to face the Eagles, even if there is no guarantee that he will start ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga. However, Potter has since confirmed that he will need an extra week of recovery.
Speaking on Friday, Potter said: "Edou is a bit further on but hasn’t had enough to be involved at the weekend. Maybe next week for him."
N’Golo Kante
N’Golo Kante has been out of action for Chelsea since picking up a long-term hamstring injury in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in just the second game of the season on August 14, but he is now the closest he has been to a return.
The midfielder was left out of France’s recent squad for this month’s UEFA Nations League games with Austria and Denmark, as manager Didier Deschamps opted to allow him extra time to work on getting back to full fitness ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar in November.
Kante has also returned to training this week and Chelsea have released eagerly-anticipated footage of him in action this afternoon. It was revealed that the midfielder is doing ‘some lighter work’, which hints he may not yet be involved in full first team training, although he is certainly working his way back to where he needs to be.
Potter is yet to give an update on Kante’s situation since he took over at Stamford Bridge but one is sure to be expected this week ahead of Saturday’s clash with Crystal Palace, as he nears a return to full fitness and could even be named on the substitutes bench.
