Good evening, Chelsea fans. Here are your evening headlines for Monday, November 23.
Lampard delivers update on Pulisic fitness
Frank Lampard has confirmed Christian Pulisic won’t be available for Chelsea’s Champions League group stage match against Rennes on Tuesday evening.
The American has missed the last few weeks of action due to a hamstring injury suffered in the warm-up ahead of the win over Burnley.
Pulisic is understood to have trained with the Chelsea squad today, but he will not be available to feature against the Ligue 1 side tomorrow.
“Kai [Havertz] and Thiago [Silva] will both travel and are fit to play,” Lampard told reporters. “Christian won't travel but he has come on well and should hopefully be fit for the weekend.”
Havertz and Silva both missed Chelsea’s Premier League win over Newcastle United on Saturday: the former because he is still recovering fitness after testing positive for Covid-19, and the latter because of the impact of travelling to South America over the international break.
Mount opens up on Chelsea’s title chances
Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount admits winning the Premier League title is the Blues’ ambition this season.
Lampard's side have built momentum with recent results, lifting themselves up to third place in the top-flight table with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United on Saturday.
And while Mount was happy to discuss Chelsea’s title chances, he refused to get carried away despite his side’s recent good form.
“It's always been our goal,” he said of Chelsea’s ambitions to win the title. “We can never be content with just being around it.
"We know what we can achieve with this group and pushing for titles. We have to keep the momentum going from game to game. You have to want to win and we are in a good place, but we can't get carried away.”
Ugbo focused on Chelsea first-team role
Ike Ugbo has opened up on his “ultimate ambition” to play for Chelsea, with the 22-year-old out on loan at Cercle Brugge for the 2020/21 season.
Ugbo has been on loan from Stamford Bridge since the start of the 2017/18 season. Cercle Brugge have an option to buy the striker permanently, but Ugbo still harbours hopes of playing for Chelsea.
“I am getting better adapted to Belgian football,” he told Het Laatste Nieuws.
“There is football here harder and faster than in the Netherlands, but I feel that I am developing better and better at Cercle. I’ve also gained strength, yes,”
“I love those loans for one season, always end up in a new environment and you have to prove yourself. But my ultimate ambition remains to get my full chance at Chelsea and to be able to play football at Stamford Bridge.
"I’ve been there since I was nine and have always dreamed of breaking through [at Chelsea].”
