Chelsea have learned the Tottenham Hotspur team news after Antonio Conte delivered a fitness update on his squad ahead of the London derby.
Spurs head to Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League looking to win in west London for the first time since 2018.
They will be needing everything they have to give themselves the best chance of beating Thomas Tuchel’s side and Conte has been boosted by having a nearly full clean bill of health among his squad.
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He will welcome back Richarlison for the Chelsea clash after he was handed a one-game suspension so he missed the 4-1 win against Southampton to open their 2022/23 season.
They have a full squad available other than Clement Lenglet who is set to miss the game due to tiredness in his abductor. Oliver Skipp has also been ruled out.
“About my injuries, a little problem with Clement Lenglet,” Conte said before the derby.
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“I don't think he is available for the game against Chelsea or for sure the next game against Wolverhampton (Wanderers). He had a little problem, and then Skipp needs a couple of weeks before being available. All the other players are good.
On Lenglet, he added: “It's a little problem of fatigue and he's a bit tired in his adductor. Nothing serious, only a precaution but it's not good to take a stupid risk for one game. He's having training sessions apart but I think it's good for him to recover well and to have a good training session before he comes back with us.”
What else has Antonio Conte said ahead of the game?
Both sides will be playing in extreme heat, conditions they are not used to playing in. Conte insists it’s a level playing field and unusual for those in England, but is experienced from his time in Italy.
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He said: The weather? The weather is the same for them and for us. I don't know if the first half the weather or temperature is less for them and higher for us. It is like the pitch. The pitch is always the same, the weather is always the same for us and for them.
“The weather is this and we arrive in training sessions with this temperature. I understand this is unusual for London, for me no? Because in Italy in this period we have 40 or 42 degrees, especially where I was born in Lecce. We sometimes touch 45 and we are used to this temperature but I understand for London it is unusual.
"The game will be good because both teams want to play and want to win.”
While Tuchel says it will be a test of his players ability to fight through the pain barrier, adding: “It is demanding. It is more demanding, we see clearly from the data.
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“The same training exercise in different conditions has very different output and effect on how you feel.
"It is maybe also a matter of how much you want it and accept it because it will feel at times very difficult and draining.
“It is also a question of who has the ability, the will to play through the pain. I’m not there yet that it influences my starting XI from the weather forecast but we accept the fact that this kind of heat has a physical effect on the players, of course."
Topics: Tottenham Hotspur, Richarlison, Chelsea, Antonio Conte, Premier League, Football
Matthew Debono