Thomas Tuchel says key Chelsea duo; N’Golo Kante and Thiago Silva could return for Wednesday’s second leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal against Tottenham Hotspur depending on further Covid-19 tests.
The pair missed out on the first leg win, in which Tuchel surprisingly opted for a 4-2-2-2 formation due to a lack of defensive options, as both tested positive for Covid-19.
We know that Silva has at least tested negative recently, thanks to his wife Isabele’s social media update, but it remains unclear whether the veteran defender will be fit enough to feature in the upcoming derby.
Tuchel, who is understandably looking forward to the pair’s returns, admitted Chelsea will need them back amid their congested January fixtures.
“I hope so,” the German told beIN SPORTS when asked about Kante and Silva’s potential returns for the Spurs game.
“But you never know if we have them back or if they make it to the game.
“There’s still testing going on, so you never know. We’re hoping because we need everybody.
“We have four matches in two weeks — four tough ones, so we need everybody to compete on the highest level.”
The Blues will face Tottenham twice in the next two weeks, with two Premier League matches against Manchester City and Brighton in between.
The trip to the Etihad Stadium on 15 January, in particular, will be huge, so Tuchel might want to avoid taking risks with Kante and Silva ahead of the game.
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