Graham Potter has offered the latest Chelsea team news as his side prepare to face RB Salzburg in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
A win in Austria at the Red Bull Arena will ensure Chelsea book their place in the last-16, while a draw could also be enough to qualify if AC Milan fall to defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the other Group E match.
Chelsea are unbeaten in their opening eight games under Potter - winning five, drawing three - which will give them confidence heading into the Champions League clash in midweek.
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They have been unfortunate with injuries so far this term. Several early injuries, most of whom have returned, have been added to by the absences of Wesley Fofana (knee) and Reece James (knee), who join N’Golo Kante (hamstring) in the medical room.
Their injury and fitness problems were clear to see when Chelsea confirmed only 21 players travelled to Austria for the European affair.
Kalidou Koulibaly was not on the list of travelling players as he continued to be sidelined after missing the weekend’s draw against Manchester United.
READ MORE: Confirmed 21-man travelling Chelsea squad for Champions League clash vs RB Salzburg
Here is the latest team news ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League clash against RB Salzburg in Austria.
Kalidou Koulibaly
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The 31-year-old missed the 1-1 draw against Manchester United due to a knee problem he sustained against Brentford last week.
Koulibaly is still not ready to return after being left in England as the Blues flew to Austria for the Champions League clash. He didn’t make the 21-man travelling squad, but Potter hopes he will be back in contention to face Brighton this weekend.
"It's not too serious but this game was too soon for him,” replied Potter. “We're hoping to get him on the grass Wednesday or Thursday."
Marc Cucurella
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Cucurella was, unluckily, taken off after 35 minutes against Manchester United on Saturday as Potter made a tactical change to change the course of the game to give Chelsea more control.
The Spaniard has been recovering from illness in recent weeks, but the Chelsea head coach offered a positive update on his current condition.
As quoted by football.london, he said: "He's had a couple of issues, a bit of illness, he's been on antibiotics, but he's a lot better. Manchester United was purely tactical, a need to get an extra body in midfield. He was the one to come out probably because of all the things that have happened to him. A bit unlucky there.
"He's good, he's ready to fight for the team, he's ready to play. He's a resilient character. He's a really good person. Sometimes when you move clubs, it goes really well, and sometimes it can be a little bit of an up-and-down period. Marc's a little bit up and down, but he's a top player, and he will show his quality."
Mateo Kovacic
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Kovacic has started the last two games on the bench, but Potter has been forced to bring him on off the bench early on into games.
The 28-year-old replaced Conor Gallagher due to illness against Brentford 15 minutes into the game, before entering the fray after 35 minutes against Man United.
Potter knows the quality the Croatian possesses, but the plan has been for him to be eased back into the side amid their busy fixture schedule.
“He’s been nursing his knee for all season pretty much and you look at the schedule, it’s Sunday-Wednesday-Saturday and it’s impossible for him to start all the games. We’ve planned for him to have less time than he has but things have conspired so he has been on the pitch. We all know his quality but at the same time, we’ve got to understand the player’s situation as well.”
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
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The 26-year-old believes he is in the best condition after overcoming his injury problems to become a key part of Chelsea’s plans this season.
Ahead of the Champions League clash, a game he will be raring to start in, he admitted: "Very happy with the time I've got on the pitch. I'm feeling the strongest, fittest, quickest I've been, which is great because I missed a bit of pre-season, but I worked hard and I feel good. No complaints.
"I feel I am at a moment in my career and Chelsea where I'm impacting games and feeling a big part of the team. It's not always been that way, for various reasons. It's a feeling I've been wanting to feel since 18. I want to kick on and keep hold of it."
Topics: Chelsea, Graham Potter, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Champions League, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mateo Kovacic, Marc Cucurella, Red Bull Salzburg
Matthew Debono