Graham Potter has ruled N'Golo Kante out of Saturday afternoon's clash with Crystal Palace.
The Chelsea midfielder returned to training this week following a hamstring injury that has kept him out since the draw with Tottenham in August. Potter, who will be taking charge of his first Premier League match as Blues head coach, has given an update on Kante's fitness.
He said: "They're absolutely fine in terms of coming through their rehab stages. NG [Kante] has just been on the grass with the team but not full training.
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"Eddie [Mendy] is a bit further on but hasn't had enough to be involved at the weekend really. Maybe next week for him A bit of illness for Marc Cucurella and Carney, apart from that everybody is fit."
The new Chelsea head coach is facing an extremely busy October period with the Blues in action nine times over the month. However, it's something that Potter is relishing and he has said he will not complain about more time on the pitch.
"We've got six weeks and 13 matches, using the players the right way and winning matches in the toughest league in the world," Potter added. "That's the challenge in the short term.
"It's a challenge. It's what I have to deal with and we have to be smart with how we work. In a world with lots of challenges, you don't want to hear me complaining about less time on the pitch."
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