Chelsea won a hard-fought battle against Barnsley in their FA Cup match and proceeded to the next round with a 1-0 scoreline. There were concerns on several players if they will be available for the crucial matches of the Premier League or not. Manager Thomas Tuchel has provided fitness updates on each one of the four players before they welcome Newcastle United for their home match at Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel confirmed that the injury suffered from Andreas Christensen in the FA Cup match is minor. Chelsea is without Kurt Zouma and Thiago Silva already due to injury issues and Christensen’s injury could have made the situation worse for the Blues. But all concerns were cleared thereafter even though he limped off from the ground at half-time.
‘It was not concussion-related at all,’ he said. ‘It was a headache so we took him off,’ said Tuchel as per Chelsea’s Official Website.
‘It’s too soon for sure for Thiago,’ continued Tuchel. ‘We are aiming for Southampton and trying hard so let’s see if we make it but we cannot promise.’
Meanwhile, the German duo of the Blues has a somewhat opposite situation. Kai Havertz has a slim chance of featuring against Newcastle while Timo Werner can possibly return after sitting out for the match against Barnsley in the FA Cup.
‘It’s Friday and we still have three training sessions before the game,’ he added. ‘It should be absolutely okay for Timo to come back but maybe too close for Kai.
‘I’m not sure if he’s out [of training] today but he will be missing this match as well.’
