A number of Chelsea players face late fitness tests to determine their availability for the Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund. Graham Potter has already welcomed back Reece James and Ben Chilwell from long-term absences and as many as four players could make their matchday squad return for the trip to Germany.
With injury woes softening, the squad available to Potter is starting to look a lot better and that positivity seemed to translate onto the pitch at the weekend. The Blues were electric in the first half of their recent Premier League clash against West Ham, however they were unable to sustain those performance levels for the full 90 minutes.
Joao Felix netted on his return from a three-game suspension by former Chelsea player Emerson Palmieri equalised shortly after. The turnaround time for the Blues is short though with a pivotal last-16 clash in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund on the horizon.
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Ahead of travelling to Germany, the Chelsea squad were put through their paces by Potter in training as was evident in images released by the club. With that in mind, here's three things football.london noticed from the latest sessions at Cobham.
Zakaria eyeing return
Denis Zakaria is one of the aforementioned players hoping for a return to the squad alongside Wesley Fofana and Mateo Kovacic. Of the trio, Zakaria is perhaps the one most likely to play given Fofana's long lay-off and the constant niggles that have been bothering Kovacic for some time.
The Swiss international picked up his initial injury against Fulham at Craven Cottage with Potter setting a four-week injury recovery timeline. That planned period out ended just a few days ago and Chelsea's caption of his training photo hints at his involvement on Wednesday. "ENGINE ROOM: Zakaria could be in contention to return in Germany."
Sterling absence
When answering who was available for the West Ham clash, Potter gave an update on one player who recently returned from injury who had suffered a setback. "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.
The England international did ultimately miss out from the squad and he was not pictured in any of the training photos posted by the club on Monday, further placing into doubt his availability for Wednesday's clash with Dortmund.
Koulibaly's state of mind
It has been far from an easy few months for Kalidou Koulibaly since he joined Chelsea in the summer with the January arrival of Benoit Badiashile seeing him lose his place in the starting XI.
However, the Champions League presents a new opportunity for the 31-year-old with Badiashile not included in the squad. According to the Athletic, Koulibaly has found it difficult to adjust to a new working environment at Chelsea but he is enjoying London and is in the process of buying a new house in the city.
An illness saw him miss the West Ham game but he returned to training at the start of the week and was captured all smiles in training, perhaps sensing the chance he has to get back into the good thoughts of Potter.
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