Three of Chelsea’s finest midfielders have returned to training ahead of Saturday’s clash with Leeds United at Stamford Bridge. Javi Gracia will take his Whites to west London once more this weekend and they’ll be keen to pile the misery on Graham Potter’s Champions League outfit, who have won just one game in all competitions since the turn of the year.
That form has seen them slump to 10th in the Premier League table, but after seeing Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic move towards a return to action, they’ll be confident about turning their wretched form around. Kovacic has been in and out of the Chelsea fold of late, but he was missing from the side that lost to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend through illness.
His appearance in training suggests he has recovered and he will be amongst those pushing for a starting place against United. Kante and Pulisic have spent a little longer on the sidelines struggling with long-term injuries and while it remains to be seen whether they will be involved this weekend, their imminent returns are seen as huge boosts.
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Pulisic hasn’t been seen since early January after picking up a knee injury in the Premier League defeat to Manchester City. The American was a regular in the side before then, featuring in all but one Premier League game for the Blues.
Kante, on the other hand, has sat out all but two games this season after picking up a hamstring injury in August and he has been sorely missed in the capital. Potter has spoken about his reluctance to rush the pair back from injury before, but if they’re fit enough they could be in contention this weekend.
Thiago Silva won’t be involved against Leeds after picking up knee ligament damage against Spurs last time out, while the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta, Edouard Mendy and Armando Broja are also injured.
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