Here are your Chelsea evening headlines for Monday, December 14.
Mario Melchiot dismisses Jurgen Klopp title claim
Mario Melchiot has dismissed Jurgen Klopp's claim that Chelsea are title favourites.
Earlier this month, Klopp said about Chelsea via Goal: "If I watch games then I see that Tottenham are obviously doing pretty well, that Chelsea for me in the moment look like the favourites."
Melchiot, though, rejects such a sentiment, arguing that Chelsea do not have the ingredients to be title favourites.
"I don’t think so," he said when asked if Chelsea are title favourites by Stadium Astro. "I would love to say it. But if you look at Liverpool, they have the ingredients to win it again. I see them being up there to win it again, along with Manchester City.
"Do Chelsea want to be up there? Of course, but these [a 1-0 defeat at Everton] are the kind of games they have to win if they are going to compete.
"Do I expect them to be in top four? Yes, that’s normal – especially with the investment they have made and bringing so many talented players into the squad. But the important part is to take a bit of pressure off your team by saying others are great, so that’s clever from Klopp."
Frank Lampard delivers Christian Pulisic update
In his press conference on Monday, Frank Lampard confirmed that Christian Pulisic would be available for Chelsea's midweek clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Due to a hamstring problem, Pulisic has featured sporadically throughout the season thus far, but with Hakim Ziyech unavailable due to injury, the American's return would be most welcome for Lampard.
"Yes, he was out of the squad through injury so he was out of the squad at the weekend. He trained on the day we played against Everton and he felt better so he is in the squad for tomorrow," Lampard said when asked about Pulisic's availability.
"It is yet to be decided whether he starts or not but it is positive news from where it was at the weekend."
Chelsea will face Atletico Madrid in Champions League
Monday's draw confirmed that Chelsea will face Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 of this season's Champions League.
Chelsea won their group with a game to spare and were seeded in pot one as a result, whereas Madrid finished second behind last year's winners, Bayern Munich.
Diego Simeone's side knocked out Liverpool last season and currently sit second in La Liga. They are arguably the toughest draw for Lampard's side.
The other teams Chelsea could have faced are Borussia Monchengladbach, Porto, Atalanta, Lazio, Barcelona and RB Leipzig.
