Boost for Chelsea as 2 Key Players Return from Injury Ahead of Tough EPL Clash This Weekend
- Reece James has been battling an ankle injury he picked during Chelsea's defeat to Man City
- N'Golo Kante is the other player who has been on the treatment table with COVID-19
- However, the two has returned to full training and are in contention to face Brentford
- The Blues will take on the newly-promoted side this Saturday in what will be a London derby
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Thomas Tuchel has been handed a double injury boost after both Reece James and N'Golo Kante returning to full training.
Source: Getty Images
James has been nursing an ankle injury sustained during his side's Premier League defeat against Man City back in September.
Metro UK reports the full-back had to withdraw from England's squad for their World Cup qualifying matches, with his teammate taking his place in the national team.
Kante, on the other hand, has been in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 and was not in action during France's UEFA Nations League triumph over Spain on Sunday, October 10.
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The midfielder is understood to have been working on his fitness away from the main group but was through to his paces on the morning of Tuesday, October 12.
Other players who were cited at Chelsea's Cobham training base include Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Saul Niguez, Hakim Ziyech, and Ross Barkley.
Tuchel will be hoping to have his key players fully fit as the Blues prepare to take on Brentford in the highly-anticipated London derby at the Brentford Community Stadium this Saturday, October 16.
Chelsea will be looking to secure maximum points as they look to cement their place on the summit of the standings.
The west Londoners currently sit top of the table with 16 points from seven matches, a point ahead of rivals Liverpool who occupy second place.
Mane backs Mendy for Ballon d'Or
Earlier, Briefly News reported Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has described the decision to omit Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy from the Ballon d'Or shortlist as "unacceptable."
Chelsea have five players who have been shortlisted for this year's Ballon d'Or award including Romelu Lukaku, Jorginho, Mason Mount, Cesar Azpilicueta, and N'Golo Kante.
However, Mane believes Mendy should have also made the list of nominees for the prestigious award.
Source: Briefly News
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
Tshepiso Mametela (Head of Current Affairs Desk) Tshepiso Mametela is a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience writing for online and print publications. He is the Head of Current Affairs at Briefly News. He was a mid-level reporter for The Herald, a senior sports contributor at Opera News SA, and a general reporter for Caxton Local Media’s Bedfordview and Edenvale News and Joburg East Express community titles. He has attended media workshops organised by the Wits Justice Project and Wits Centre for Journalism, including crime and court reporting. Email: tshepiso.mametela@briefly.co.za
