Chelsea host Leicester City in the Premier League this weekend at Stamford Bridge.
Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers come head-to-head in the capital on Saturday afternoon, but the Chelsea head coach is unlikely to be on the touchline after being handed a one-game touchline ban.
Chelsea are yet to record a win at home this season in the Premier League after drawing 2-2 to Tottenham Hotspur, while Leicester City have yet to win any of their opening three games of 2022-23.
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They will have Mateo Kovacic back available after a knee problem, but N’Golo Kante has been ruled out for more than four weeks.
“We are talking about four weeks plus,” responded Tuchel on Kante’s hamstring injury.
“I told you at the end of last season he is our key player. He gives something to our team that no other player in the world can give to any other team. That makes him a key player. If your key player is out, it’s a situation you don’t like but have to deal with. It has huge influence.”
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On Kovacic, the 48-year-old added: “He’s back in the group. N’Golo is the only one that did not train now this week so everybody is back in training. Kova is back in the group and ready to play some 20 minutes.”
Following the 3-0 defeat to Leeds United last weekend, it was an afternoon to forget for the Blues in Yorkshire. But Chelsea have responded well in the full week they have had to prepare for the game, says Tuchel, which he hopes will give them the best chance of getting all three points and their first home win of the new season.
“Always, we always see a response,” Tuchel said when asked about his Chelsea side reacting to defeats.
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“That’s the good thing, we absolutely dislike to lose and as painful as it is to analyse these things and look at it again, it’s necessary, we always get a response. The reasons are obvious, the reasons are clear.
“We are in a period, the last week, a full week to prepare the match. We used it, in our opinion, as good as possible to get back in shape and install confidence in what we do. We don’t like these things but maybe in a process like this they are necessary to sharpen your vision and have a clear view on where to put the focus. This is what we did.
“Now we have to compensate the loss of Kalidou Koulibaly and N’Golo Kante. From there we go. The team is hopefully well; prepared and ready to go tomorrow.”
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When is the match?
It will take place on Saturday 27th August at 3pm (UK) time.
Where is the match?
The Premier League match will be held at Stamford Bridge, London.
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How can I watch the match?
The fixture will not be available to watch live in the United Kingdom.
For those in the United States, the game can be watched on Peacock Premium.
Topics: Chelsea, Leicester City, Premier League
Matthew Debono