Chelsea take on Tottenham Hotspur in the 2nd leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final this week and both N’Golo Kante and Thiago Silva should be fit enough to start on Wednesday.
The pair picked up COVID last week which is why they missed the 1st leg game. The Blues though did not feel their absence as they beat their London rivals 2-0 but with a tough round of games coming up, Thiago Silva and Kante’s return is great news.
The pair has tested negative during the weekend and have since reported back to first-team training.
Great to see that both Ngolo Kante & Thiago Silva will be available for Wednesdays clash with Spurs. pic.twitter.com/QS2xpg9Mkf
— Frank Khalid (@FrankKhalidUK) January 10, 2022
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has also admitted that the pair are in contention to feature against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.
Will Thiago Silva and N’Golo Kante both start on Wednesday?
Chelsea will go into the 2nd leg trying to protect a 2-0 lead so both Thiago Silva and Kante will get starting roles – if they are fully fit.
@tsilva3 is NEGATIVE!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/abkzTpaVjm
— Belle Silva (@bellesilva) January 8, 2022
As of now, there has been no news of post-COVID complications for either of the two players so they should be playing from the very first minute.
Having said that, Chelsea have an all-important Premier League game against Manchester City so Tuchel will definitely have one eye on that encounter.
While Silva and Kante will start but if Chelsea can wrap up the tie early enough then the manager will surely take them off.
Saul and Kovacic had a pretty solid outing in their FA Cup encounter so Tuchel can take the gamble of resting N’Golo Kante but with Harry Kane and Lucas Moura set to start upfront for Tottenham, there’s no way Thiago Silva will start as a substitute.
Thiago Silva has been pivotal in stabilizing Chelsea’s backline over the past two years which is why the centre-back has been rewarded with a new contract until the summer of 2023.
UPDATE:
While talking in his press conference, Thomas Tuchel has revealed that the two players are not guaranteed starters and that the coaching staff will take a late call on whether to use them on Wednesday or not.
Tuchel said on Tuesday: ‘We have to wait on last-minute decisions on Thiago and N’Golo. They have cardiac tests and Covid tests to follow the protocols so we can bring them back to training so we have to wait to see if they can be involved and then see how they respond.
‘It’s a gamble to play them so I’m not sure if we can do it and how much responsibility we can take there. We have to go step by step. I’m not even sure they will come to training but if they do, we can decide then.’
