Graham Potter addressed the media ahead of Chelsea's Carabao Cup tie with Manchester City on Wednesday night
Chelsea travel to the Etihad Stadium to face the current Premier League champions in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
It’s their penultimate game before the domestic season pauses for the mid-season World Cup which begins in Qatar last this month.
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Potter’s side will be looking to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the league on Sunday with a win over Man City on Wednesday to progress into the fourth round.
Here's what the Chelsea head coach had to say on Tuesday afternoon in his pre-match press conference:
Team news
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"Reece (James) was outside today having a little jog. Jorginho slight problem with his foot, doubtful for tomorrow. Other than that, pretty much the same group."
“Still unavailable (Kepa). We’ll see (if available for the World Cup). He’s got to take it day by day. It’s a tear in his plantar fascia. It’s how he responds to pain, how comfortable he feels. At the moment, not so positive.
“I just think it’s how he responds (James being available for World Cup). We don’t want to rush anything, I don’t want to put any timescales on it. That’s for him, doctors and physios.”
Facing scrutiny
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"I'd be lying if I didn't expect it at some point when you take this job and challenge on. Of course there will be times when it isn't a pleasant road. You have to take and accept that.
"When results were good, I was honest enough to say we still have things to improve. Performance wise we can improve a lot. It's exciting, but that's the challenge."
Man City tie
"We have to go to Man City and be competitive because they will be, to win the game, be as strong as we can. We will do our best, prepare the team. We have to go to try to win the game."
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Raheem Sterling
"Players go through moments where it isn't so positive. I don't think you can zoom into the individual, the team isn't functioning as well as we'd, I, like. He's a proven top, top player."
Recent tough period
"It's been a tough period. Lots of things happening, change, new faces everywhere, trying to get it all to gel, and a new playing style. We've a lot of work to do. That's why we came here, to produce a top team. There's a long way to go, but it's exciting."
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Potential Carabao Cup fourth round tie three days after World Cup final
"We all know that's the situation. If that game comes, we can use it as preparation for the (first) Premier League game (back from World Cup).
Mateo Kovacic
"He'll be fine for the World Cup. I wouldn't say he's 100% but he's not far off. We've managed it well
Omari Hutchinson and Lewis Hall involvement vs Man City
“He’s in the squad, Lewis Hall is in the squad. They've impressed. We've got some good quality young players. They'll be in the squad and involved."
Topics: Graham Potter, Chelsea, Manchester City, Carabao Cup
Matthew Debono