Chelsea face Belorussian side BATE Borisov in the Europa League
The boss held a short press-conference in Minsk ahead of Thursday’s clash
The Italian revealed he is resting Alvaro Morata but Eden Hazard is set to feature
Speaking about his decision to leave Morata in London, Sarri said:
“He played for three matches in a row, so I thought it was better to rest at Cobham and have good training.
“Morata stayed in Cobham just to rest, and then just to have training. I think it is better for him to stay fit with two or three trainings than only with matches . It is normal. Sometimes it is better than to rest than always play. To train and physical qualitites. If they only play they will lose that physical quality.
“The only problem is Cesc Fabregas. He had a fever.”
Sarri has also defended bringing Eden Hazard to Belarus despite his recent injury struggles. Reflecting on the Belgian’s presence in the Chelsea squad, the Italian continued: “From our doctor there is no risk.
“Otherwise he stays at Cobham. In the last match he played 30 minutes, the best for tomorrow is that he plays 45 to 50 minutes.”
The Italian has also lifted the lid on his Chelsea training methods: “We don’t use any weights. I have never seen a player with a weight on a pitch.”
Some #cfc fans are disappointed he’s not resting at home but the locals are very pleased to see #Hazard has made the trip with #cfc pic.twitter.com/m2noJ1SlDX
— Simon Johnson (@SJohnsonSport) November 7, 2018