Chelsea hope to have Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante available for today’s FA Cup final against Liverpool at Wembley.
Kovacic looked certain to miss out after limping off during the midweek at Leeds, after which boss Thomas Tuchel said it would be a “miracle” if the Croatian was involved against the Reds.
But on Friday, Tuchel said both Kovacic and Kante were “trying” to be fit for this weekend’s game and were due to train ahead of the big clash.
And comments made by Tuchel suggest he will definitely start with Kovacic if he can.
Tuchel admitted at his pre-match press conference that it was a “time to take risks” with players – and after the Leeds game he declared that Kovacic was a “clear starter” if fit.
That all points to Kovacic being patched up and sent out to play at Wembley, probably alongside Jorginho in midfield, with Kante settling for a place on the bench if he is fit enough to be in the squad.
For obvious reasons, Chelsea will need to be as defensively solid as possible against a superb Liverpool side.
Cesar Azpilicueta has made errors of late but is generally solid for Chelsea and might well be deployed on the right of a back three, with Reece James at wing-back.
Up front, Romelu Lukaku will surely keep his place after scoring three goals in two matches.
Expected Chelsea line-up: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Mount, Lukaku, Werner.