Chelsea and injuries are like a match made in heaven.
Blues manager Thomas Tuchel has been unlucky to lose key stars already at this early point of the campaign. The likes of N'Golo Kanté, Reece James, Mateo Kovacic and others have had to miss at least one of the opening six fixtures of the new 2022/23 season due to injury and illness woes. Thankfully, this bad luck didn't affect Tuchel's side at the weekend as they picked up a much-needed three points, in controversial fashion against West Ham United in the Premier League.
However, ahead of the Champions League opener in Group E against Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday, Tuchel has a few concerns to contend with ahead of his side flying out to Eastern Europe on Monday after his pre-match press conference. With this in mind, football.london previews the injury and other absentee concerns that could affect his team selection for this one.
READ MORE: James, Loftus-Cheek, Kante: Chelsea injury news and return dates ahead of West Ham clash
Edouard Mendy
It's fair to say the Senegalese hasn't had a good start to 2022/23. From making a terrible mistake against Leeds to looking suspect against West Ham United, the former Rennes man is someone who has lost his confidence a tad.
In the game on Saturday, he was caught wanting for both West Ham goals although he was given the benefit of the doubt by VAR for the second in injury time. Unfortunately for him, he was caught in the ribs by Jarrod Bowen meaning he is an injury doubt ahead of the Champions League opener.
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What Tuchel said: "He was in a lot of pain, and we have to see. It's too early to comment on that. I think at the moment he is a bit unlucky in what he is doing. In training, he is fantastic, and he is, in general, a very calm and self-reflective guy who is aware that he lacks a little bit of luck at the moment.
"Things do not go in his favour. If he has maybe a situation where his action isn't 100% clear, he gets punished for it massively. He is just in this moment, and it feels like it's not so much his fault. I have the feeling because he tries everything, he is very calm and focused. We will keep on supporting him."
Expected return date: Unknown
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
The new recruit watched on from the stands as he saw his new team pick up maximum points in game week 7 of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign. It was revealed earlier last week that the 33-year-old had travelled to AC Milan to get his protective mask fitted.
Tuchel also confirmed post-match that Aubameyang would be training with his new teammates this week. Whether or not he is risked for this one or saved for the Fulham derby next Saturday remains to be seen.
What Tuchel said: "Yes, he trains tomorrow, but I cannot tell you if he trains with full contact or individually. We'll need to see. He has the mask, and the doctors tell me the mask is good and he feels comfortable with it.
"So he would be ok, but we need to check it, and we need to check it with no contact, half-contact, and then full contact. We need to see how he feels about it. It's too early to make a prediction, but he'll be in training tomorrow morning, and we'll see."
Expected return date: Dinamo Zagreb (A), Tuesday, September 6.
Denis Zakaria
Like Aubameyang, the Deadline Day loan recruit watched on from the stands. Unlike Aubameyang though, the Swiss international is unlikely to feature in this one whilst the club work on his work permit.
Tuchel will be sure to update the Journalists in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday in regards to the status of the midfielder.
What Tuchel said: "No. I think we need to work on the latest information and understand that we need to work on the work permit. He will not be in the squad for tomorrow – it's too close. We hope for Tuesday and then for Fulham."
Expected return date: Fulham (A), Saturday, September 10.
N'Golo Kanté
Chelsea’s star midfielder continues to recover from the hamstring injury that he picked up during the game against Tottenham.
In his press conference ahead of West Ham, Tuchel said: "So in the moment, it's only N'Golo out. Everyone else is available."
Speaking on August 26, Tuchel discussed Kante's injury and said: "With N'Golo, we are talking about weeks. We are talking about four weeks plus."
Expected return date: Unknown
Trevoh Chalobah
The defender picked up an injury tweak in the 2-1 Leicester win in game week 5. As a result, he wasn't in the travelling squad for the Southampton loss.
However, he did return as an unused sub in the West Ham victory. Whether or not he starts in Zagreb remains to be seen with the competition for places hot, following the most recent Wesley Fofana arrival.
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