Thomas Tuchel confirms Chelsea injury boost as Champions League final squad is announced

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Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has provided a positive injury update ahead of the Champions League final against Manchester City on Saturday.

The Blues have missed the services of N’Golo Kante for the past few games with a hamstring injury, but he returned to training in Wednesday’s session.

Edouard Mendy was also involved after overcoming a rib injury sustained during the final matchday of the Premier League season at Aston Villa.

Both players have made the 25-man squad for the final in Lisbon, and Tuchel confirmed that they could feature against the Cityzens tomorrow.

He told Chelseafc.com: “N’Golo is looking good, and I hope he stays like that for Saturday.

“Edou made a huge improvement with the management of pain from when the injury happened, which is good.”

“We hope to have him back. If he is fit, then Edou will play.”

The Blues have had the better of Pep Guardiola’s side in the last two meetings in the FA Cup and Premier League respectively.

However, on both occasions, the English champions made multiple changes, with most of the regulars being left on the bench.

It will be a different prospect when the Blues face them this weekend, and they are regarded as the underdogs for the final.

Their recent record in finals has not been the best. They have won just two of the last six, missing out on back-to-back FA Cup titles.

The Cityzens tend to bring the best out of them in such games and have won the previous five finals, excluding the Community Shield.

It promises to be an entertaining encounter between the English clubs, and the Blues will need to make the most of their chances.

The west London club can create scoring opportunities but have disappointed with the inability to convert them into regular goals.

Chelsea’s Champions League final squad:

Goalkeepers: Edouard Mendy, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Willy Caballero.

Defenders: Antonio Rudiger, Marcos Alonso, Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma, Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Cesar Azpilicueta, Emerson.

Midfielders: Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Billy Gilmour, Tino Anjorin.

Forwards: Tammy Abraham, Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner, Olivier Giroud, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

Read: Chelsea boss wants to sign this 30-goal striker from the Serie A.

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