N’Golo Kante will not feature for Chelsea against West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday and is very likely to miss the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Porto next week, confirms manager Thomas Tuchel.
The Frenchman is dealing with a hamstring injury and has no chance of being fit for this weekend, with Tuchel warning that he could also miss the trip to Crystal Palace the following weekend and only return for the second leg against Porto on 13 April.
There was much more positive news from the German, though, who confirmed every other member of the squad is available on Saturday against the Baggies.
‘Everybody was in training today, except N’Golo Kante who was doing individual work,’ Tuchel told a press conference. ‘Everybody else was out on the pitch and that’s good news.
‘Yes, probably [Kante will miss Porto]. He is doing individual training and tomorrow the game and he can’t be with the squad.
‘Then we have just three days to prepare. We have a muscle injury, as we communicated with the national team [France]. So my realistic approach is to think about Porto, maybe the second game against Porto.’
Both are likely to be back in the squad on Saturday, as are Jorginho, Edouard Mendy and Callum Hudson-Odoi who had all been less than fully fit in recent weeks.
While Tuchel will have some selection headaches ahead of him before the lunchtime kick-off on Saturday, he is delighted by the wide range of options he has available to him.
‘It’s the best situation you can have as a manager,’ he said. ‘We can substitute players or replace players that are injured without a loss of quality. That is very good, gives us a good feeling. Tomorrow will see Thiago available and everyone else is fit. It’s the same with the goalkeepers.
‘It’s very important to have this at this time of the season. We need everybody in top shape.’
