Chelsea expected XI vs Leeds as Tuchel offers injury update

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has given fans an update on the fitness of one key player ahead of the match against Leeds United this lunch-time.

Under the German, the Blues have not tasted defeat and have claimed wins over Tottenham, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid.

When he took over from Frank Lampard, the west London club were ninth in the Premier League.

They now sit fourth and have an excellent chance to finish in a Champions League spot – though West Ham are chasing them down.

A win over Leeds would help keep the Hammers at bay for a whole longer, though they are two points behind with a game in hand.

One of the major changes Tuchel brought in was a formation change that saw Chelsea revert to a three-at-the-back system that worked under Antonio Conte.

Players such as Marcos Alonso, Antonio Rudiger and Jorginho have been brought in from the cold and the Blues have looked solid at the back.

However, Tammy Abraham has been missing through a persistent ankle problem picked up against Newcastle last month.

And he has been ruled out for today's clash by Tuchel, who is worried over the England international.

“Honestly, I am a bit concerned because it’s the same pain from the tackle against Newcastle,” he said.

Top trending sport stories right now

  • Grealish 'caught DMing Love Island girl'
  • Gerrard joins Rangers celebrations
  • Keane: Klopp has lost patience
  • Players you forgot were Prem stars

    • “So it’s been a long time now where he’s not been 100 per cent free and comfortable in training.

    “Even if he finishes in training, I can see he doesn’t have 100% trust that he is totally free.

    "So I am a bit concerned, but at the same time I have complete trust in our medical department and they will take care of him now.

    “It was a bit of a setback yesterday that he had to leave the pitch during the warm-up, but he will get all the time he needs.

    "It’s most important he feels zero pain and then we can think about his comeback.”

    Thiago Silva is also absent after suffering a setback with Tuchel adding: “Thiago had a little setback in training, at the end of the training sessions, the day before yesterday.

    "He felt something around the same area where he was injured.

    “So we had to take him off and he’s back into a transition phase, but not in team training. So he will be out.”

    Chelsea predicted XI: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; James, Kovacic, Kante, Alonso; Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Werner.

    READ MORE: Bayern ‘joining Liverpool in Raphinha race’ could mean Chelsea can land Kingsley Coman

    READ MORE: How Chelsea can raise £200m funds for summer transfers with Stamford Bridge clearout

    Source: Read Full Article