Chelsea set to be without 3 key players against Leeds United – report
Prior to Sunday’s third Premier League match at Elland Road against Leeds United, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel provided an injury update. The German acknowledged that he might not have Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante, or Marcos Alonso available for the matchup with Jesse Marsch’s team.
However, The Blues produced a commanding performance against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend as a response to their underwhelming performance in their 1-0 victory over Everton a fortnight earlier. Tuchel’s team had a number of opportunities and was confident in possession, but they were furious that Spurs were able to earn a 2-2 draw thanks to a few contentious refereeing decisions.
After a fight on the sidelines, Tuchel and Antonio Conte were both dismissed from the game. According to The Mirror, Chelsea’s manager could receive a protracted suspension for his remarks about referee Anthony Taylor following the game.
Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante are expected to miss this weekend’s games with knee and hamstring injuries, respectively, causing yet another setback for the west London team. Additionally, left-back Marcos Alonso, who “is not in training” as he works to “finalize his transfer” to Barcelona, will not be available to them.
Tuchel told Football.london:
“[Kovacic] has issues with his knee, always a little bit of a reaction. We decided to take a step back and increase treatment time to reduce the stress that comes from training to have a normal reaction before we start again. Everybody else is available.
“It seems another muscle injury, the hamstring. He [N’Golo Kante] said he feels it pretty strong. So no good news. He [Marcos Alonso] is not in training at the moment and trying to finalise his transfer, so he will not be available for the game.”
Chelsea could face a difficult test against Leeds United as Jesse Marsch’s side will head into the game on Sunday on the back of a 2-1 victory over Wolves in their Premier League opener and a 2-2 draw with Southampton last weekend.