Graham Potter has been handed several boosts ahead of Chelsea's tie with Southampton in the Premier League. The Blues are set to welcome the Saints to Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, February 18, as they look to return to winning ways.
While the west Londoners lost to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League round of 16 first-leg, a number of key players took huge steps towards making their return. Mateo Kovacic, Denis Zakaria and Wesley Fofana all featured on Chelsea bench at the Signal Iduna Park after having nursed their respective injuries.
While the trio didn't feature, they look set to be available to Potter in the coming weeks. And, what better time to be drafted into the Blues lineup when the club are in desperate need of a catalyst to improve performances.
READ MORE: Chelsea owner Todd Boehly loved what Borussia Dortmund did at Champions League game
Raheem Sterling, Edouard Mendy, N'Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic didn't travel to west Germany due to injury. Chelsea have suffered many a setback this term but, as players begin to return, Todd Boehly's project continues to take shape.
So, with that being said, football.london rounds up everything you need to know about Chelsea's latest injury news and return dates ahead of the clash with Southampton.
Raheem Sterling
The winger returned to action last week after a period on the sidelines. However, he missed out at the weekend against West Ham after unfortunately sustaining a knock in training this week. He has thus missed training in the build-up to the Dortmund tie.
What Potter said: "We've had a little setback with Raheem [Sterling] he had a little kick in training on the side of his knee, so we're assessing him and he is doubtful for tomorrow."
Injury: Knee
Expected return date: N/A
N'Golo Kante
Kante has suffered an injury-ridden campaign thus far but the midfielder has finally returned to the pitches at Cobham, albeit training alone. The Frenchman is getting closer to full fitness but, until he joins the first-team group, a debut under Potter is left to be desired.
In a major boost, Kante has been doing individual work at Cobham since the end of last week, a source has told football.london. He is not yet training with his teammates, however, but that is understood to not be too far away from doing so.
football.london understands Chelsea have some hope of Kante returning to team training by the end of the week, or the start of the following week. However, there will be no rush to return him to action too soon.
What Potter said: "N’Golo did his first couple of days out training on his own but there is still a long, long way to go."
Injury: Hamstring
Expected return date: Late February/Early March
Christian Pulisic
Pulisic issued a two-word hint on his Chelsea return date earlier this month as he continues to nurse a knee injury. The 24-year-old came off second best in a collision with John Stones when the Blues locked horns with Manchester City in the Premier League earlier last month.
The winger has posted an image of himself from when he limped off the pitch against City. Pulisic simply captioned his post: "Back soon."
What Potter said: "No chance, no, he will be out past that [January transfer deadline] and there was never any consideration about him leaving anyway. He is a couple of months out.
"He is disappointed but he is optimistic about coming back quicker than two months. He is in that phase where he is keeping his fingers crossed and hoping his rehab goes well."
Injury: Knee
Expected return date: March
Edouard Mendy
Chelsea confirmed that Mendy had undergone an operation on a fractured finger sustained during training, meaning he will be absent from the squad in the coming games. The Senegalese shot-stopper was not in the squad to face West Ham nor has he travelled to Germany.
Injury: Finger
Expected return date: Unknown
Armando Broja
Chelsea are set to be without Broja for sometime after the striker suffered a knee injury in a mid-season friendly against Aston Villa. The 20-year-old screamed in pain following a collision with Ezri Konsa and he was subsequently stretchered off the field of play.
He looked to be in considerable pain and was seen to be clutching his leg as he was tended to by medical staff. The Albania international had no history of knee injuries and his injury is a major blow with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out of form.
Broja is expected to be out for at least the remainder of the season after learning that he needs surgery to fix a ruptured cruciate ligament in his right knee, football.london understands. He could be out of action for a minimum of five months and a maximum of 12.
What Potter said: ''It was just an unfortunate action. He got caught up with their player and the ground. It doesn’t look positive at the moment but it’s too early to say. Fingers crossed but it is an awkward one.''
Injury: Knee
Expected return date: Summer/Autumn 2023
Ben Chilwell
The England left-back limped off on 70 minutes in Germany and after the game Potter said the club will assess the injury over the next few days - though the plan was always for the defender to be substituted at some point after the hour mark in Dortmund.
Injury: Ankle knock
What Potter said: "About five minutes before he came off, he had a run down the side and had a kick on his ankle. I haven’t checked it over but I think it’s more a kick than anything else and probably a little bit of fatigue. That was his first start for some time so the idea before the game was to take him off at 60/70 minutes max. So that was the plan."
Expected return date: Southampton
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