Chelsea injury round-up – Kante, Kovacic and Chilwell latest

Chelsea look to be over the worst of the injury nightmares following the returns of N’Golo Kante and Trevoh Chalobah against Everton on Wednesday, with just two players now missing from the squad

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Tuchel hails Jorginho for playing through the pain for Chelsea

Chelsea travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday in search of three points as they aim to keep up the chase on Premier League leaders Manchester City, as the race for the title heats up.

The Blues had slipped down to third following their 3-2 defeat to West Ham at the start of the month, but followed that up with victories over Leeds United and then Everton on Thursday.

Thomas Tuchel has had to deal with a number of absentees from his Chelsea side in recent weeks due to various injuries and illness.

But N’Golo Kante and Trevoh Chalobah returned to the squad against the Toffees in midweek, leaving just two players left on the sidelines ahead of their trip to Molineux.

Here is all you need to know about the current state of play at Stamford Bridge and the return dates for those out injured.

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N’Golo Kante

French midfielder Kante returned to the squad against Everton in midweek but it was a place on the bench which awaited him.

Tuchel decided not to throw him straight back into the starting lineup after his lengthy spell on the sidelines, but there is the possibility that he could do just that against Wolves.

It was anticipated that Kante could be operating at 60-70 per cent for the visit of the Toffees, but a few extra days between then and the Wolves game could see the Frenchman nearing full match fitness for this tie.

Ben Chilwell

The last remaining player on Chelsea’s injury list is Ben Chilwell, who will remain out for the long-term as he continues his recovery from a partially torn ACL.

The left-back sustained his injury during the 4-0 Champions League win over Juventus at the end of last month and it was feared that he might need surgery should the injury fail to naturally heal.

But Tuchel revealed this week that Chilwell has begun some light running exercises, although his situation will continue to be monitored as things stand.

Mateo Kovacic

After enduring a lengthy spell on the sidelines through injury, Mateo Kovacic made his return to training for one session before being ruled out again.

However, this time it was through contracting Covid-19, with the midfielder then facing a further spell out of the side as he self-isolated.

But the good news is that Kovacic is due to return to training this week and could potentially come back into the squad for Sunday’s trip to the Black Country.