The Blues boss confirmed the good news that his side have a clean bill of health ahead of a huge European quarter-final
Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Chelsea duo Christian Pulisic and N’Golo Kante are fit to face Porto in the Champions League quarter-final first-leg tie on Wednesday night.
Pulisic was replaced at half-time of Saturday’s 5-2 home defeat by West Brom after the U.S. national team player felt tightness in his calf.
Kante, meanwhile, suffered a hamstring injury while away on international duty with France and is expected to be on the bench against Porto.
What has Tuchel said?
“They are fit enough to be in the squad and will be in the squad all three, that’s good news,” said Tuchel in his pre-match press conference. “Christian went out before injury could happen. Tammy [Abraham] is in the squad, and N’Golo just did his last test and will be on the bench.
“He feels very comfortable, comfortable enough to be on the bench.”
How are Porto shaping up?
Porto will be without their two leading scorers Mehdi Taremi and Sergio Oliveira, who are both suspended for the first leg after their bookings in their last-16 win over Juventus.
The only other player to miss training ahead of Porto’s trip to face Chelsea in Seville was their back-up goalkeeper Mouhamed Mbaye.
“We would like to have everyone available, namely those two who cannot play as punishment, Mehdi Taremi and Sergio,” said Porto coach Sergio Conceicao. “It may change something, but not in relation specifically to Sergio, regarding the strategy we have for the game.
“If Sergio played, the strategy would be exactly the same. But we are talking about the team’s top scorer, an important player whose absence is not easy to fill. But I am here to find solutions.
“We are not going to change the way we look at the game just because two players are missing who have been playing regularly.”
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