Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has signalled the ‘big chance’ ahead of midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek against Aston Villa.
The Blues renew rivalries with their Premier League rivals on Wednesday evening by kicking off their Carabao Cup campaign, with the German expected to rotate his side after a hectic start to the season.
Among those thought to be involved is midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who could make his first start of the season after returning from a loan spell at Fulham.
He was afforded just a minute of action last week in the slender 1-0 Champions League victory over Zenit St Petersburg as he was introduced off the bench.
Now, Tuchel has pointed to the opportunity that the 25-year-old has to impress against Villa and has instructed Loftus-Cheek to display his qualities during the match.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the German said: “We gave him some [minutes] against Zenit in a close game.
“That was not a gift, he deserved it and I trust him. He accepts his situation and what he makes out of it is good training every day. There is a big chance tomorrow he can show it.”
Loftus-Cheek has had to endure a frustrating few seasons after it looked as though he had finally broken into the Chelsea side.
He made 40 appearances in all competitions under Maurizio Sarri in 2018/19, scoring 10 goals and playing a key role as the Blues claimed the Europa League.
Since then though, he has made just a further 10 outings in a Chelsea shirt, whilst also suffering relegation during a loan spell with Fulham last term.
Elsewhere, a number of other fringe players could also look to force themselves into Tuchel’s plans, including Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ross Barkley, Saul Niguez, Ben Chilwell and Malang Sarr.
