Chelsea midfield pair Denis Zakaria and Mateo Kovacic could make their injury returns in Wednesday’s Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund.
Zakaria and Kovacic have trained with the team since before this weekend, but neither made Graham Potter’s squad against West Ham.
By the time Chelsea face Dortmund, however, Zakaria and Kovacic will have had several training sessions under their belt before their potential returns.
This includes Monday’s training, in which both were on the training pitch, as confirmed by the club’s official website.
Unfortunately, N’Golo Kante is reportedly still a week away from a potential return.
On another positive note, Zakaria and Kovacic are not the only ones eager to get back on the team, as Wesley Fofana, whose last appearance was in October, could be in contention to play, too.
This becomes more likely as Benoit Badiashile, who started in the last four games alongside Thiago Silva, will not be available in the Champions League.
That said, a start against Dortmund remains unlikely for Fofana, with Trevoh Chalobah being arguably the most suitable replacement for Badiashile.
Potter could also opt for Kalidou Koulibaly. The Senegal international was left out of the squad against the Hammers, reportedly due to an illness, but was among those trained on Monday.
In the attack, Christian Pulisic, Noni Madueke and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are the three who will not be available.
Pulisic is still nursing a knee injury, while the latter two are not in Chelsea’s Champions League squad. Aubameyang, in particular, was removed from the squad to make space for January signings; Enzo Fernandez, Joao Felix, and Mykhailo Mudryk.
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