Opponent Watch: Chelsea sweating on the fitness of N’Golo Kante and Ben Chilwell ahead of their fixture against Manchester United
According to Manchester Evening News, Chelsea are troubled regarding the fitness of Ben Chilwell and N’Golo Kante ahead of their Premier League fixture against Manchester United.
The Blues are currently flying high and are coming off the back of a scintillating 4-0 victory against Juventus in the UEFA Champions League. They are also sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League, a mammoth 12 points ahead of Manchester United.
Despite a hugely positive result against I Bianconeri, the injuries sustained by Chilwell and Kante have taken the shine off the win. Both players are key cogs in Thomas Tuchel’s well-drilled Chelsea side.
The French midfielder is a workhorse in the middle of the pitch and an instrumental part of this Chelsea squad’s recent success. His ability to intercept passes and retain possession in his half has made him a key asset to the West Londoners.
The same can be said of Chilwell, who has grown increasingly influential in recent weeks. Despite struggling to cement a starting place early in his Chelsea career, the English left-back has fought his way back into contention with some eye-catching performances. He has scored three goals and provided one assist in six Premier League games so far this season.
Man United have had a rocky start to the campaign. The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho looked set to turn the side into title challengers. That has, however, not materialized, and the Red Devils are now picking up the pieces.
A string of poor results saw Manchester United sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer earlier this week. Michael Carrick is now the caretaker manager for the club on a match-to-match basis and led the club to a 2-0 win away to Villarreal. He will, however, face a sterner test this weekend against Chelsea.
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The Red Devils have been shambolic in defence of late and would be looking to get a favourable result on the board. Having to take on a Chelsea side sans Kante and Chilwell will be a boost for the Red Devils. However, the European Champions will have enough options to step in, and United cannot afford to get complacent.
Given the talent at our disposal, Man United should be in a position to take on Chelsea even when they have a fully fit team at their disposal.
