Graham Potter has confirmed that N'Golo Kante will miss Chelsea's clash with Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League round of 16, second-leg. The Blues are set to welcome the German side to Stamford Bridge tomorrow evening (Tuesday) as they look to turnaround a one-goal deficit.
Kante, who sees his contract with the west London outfit expire in the summer, is yet to feature under Potter after suffering a hamstring injury against Tottenham in August. The France international has been doing some light training with the rest of the Chelsea squad at Cobham as he finally nears match-fitness again.
But despite some initial hopes he may be involved, Potter has confirmed he will not feature. The 47-year-old said: "Reece [James], we'll make a decision on him tomorrow. Christian Pulisic is in the squad, but it is too soon for N'Golo [Kante] but he's looking good."
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Then, providing more detail on the Frenchman's situation, he added: "It's a complex one with him because he has had a long time out. It'll be a case of how we get him back up to speed to play Premier League or Champions League football. He won't be able to go back in for 90 minutes any time soon but the fact he is with us is exciting."
Potter continued by stressing the importance of playing well against Dortmund in Kante's absence. He said: "We have to play well, be positive.
"It's a special occasion for us to try to get into the last eight of the Champions League. We've had some games where we could've scored more than one and we need that performance tomorrow night.
"We're playing against a top team, a team that is in a good place with the wins they've had. The boys are in a good place and are motivated. We want to give it our best."
Dortmund have a number of injury woes of their own. Karim Adeyemi, who gave the German side the lead in the first-leg, went off injured in their clash with Hertha Berlin last month.
Youssoufa Moukoko remains out having missed the first-leg. The 18-year-old was heavily linked with a move to the Premier League ahead of the January transfer window before penning a new long-term deal at the club.
Gregor Kobel, who made a number of brilliant saves to deny Chelsea in the first-leg, look to be a doubt for Dortmund as well. The goalkeeper was due to start against RB Leipzig on Friday but was replaced shortly before kick-off.
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