Graham Potter has confirmed the Chelsea team news to face Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
Chelsea are back at home at Stamford Bridge following two consecutive away league games. They return to west London following a 2-0 win over Aston Villa and, most recently, a 0-0 draw to Brentford on Wednesday evening at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Erik ten Hag’s side travel down south to the capital at the weekend, buoyed on by their 2-0 win over Spurs, and Chelsea will need to cope without Wesley Fofana (knee), Reece James (knee) and N’Golo Kante (hamstring) once again when they host Manchester United.
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Potter provided an update on James' fitness, as well as he and Kante are dealing with the disappointment of missing the World Cup.
"He's in a brace for four weeks to stabilise the knee, then it's rehab," Potter said of James. "That will take around eight weeks. That's the latest."
Potter added: "They are human beings. The reality is, I've got nothing to say that will make it any better for them.
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"You have to focus on the things you can control, rehab, go day to day."
Conor Gallagher was forced off with illness on Wednesday against Brentford. Potter was hopeful he would recover in time for United's visit and the 23-year-old is on course to make the squad, with no other injuries to report.
Potter concluded: "We are still in the process of recovery. Pretty much as we were with Brentford.
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"Conor (Gallagher) trained today so we will see how he is over the 24 hours."
Meanwhile, Manchester United confirmed Cristiano Ronaldo would not be involved against the Blues after he left Old Trafford on Wednesday night before the end of their 2-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur.
Ronaldo was an unused substitute and was seen walking down the tunnel in the 89th minute.
A club statement: “Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of the Manchester United squad for this Saturday’s Premier League game against Chelsea.
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"The rest of the squad is fully focused on preparing for that fixture.”
Ten Hag has made his move and stance clear, while Potter refused to comment on the situation ahead of the game due to not knowing the full situation.
The 47-year-old concluded: "I can't really comment, he's (Erik ten Hag) taken his stance. Then you need the club to support.
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"It's difficult for me to comment because I don't really know what's happened, I don't want to go off headlines."
Topics: Chelsea, Manchester United, Premier League, Football
Matthew Debono