Lille travel to Stamford Bridge to take on the defending champions in the first leg of the last-16 tie on Tuesday.
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With Chelsea set to play an important Champions League round-of-16 match on Tuesday night, fans have been worried over the injury concerns of some of the key players. Lille travel to Stamford Bridge to take on the defending champions in the first leg of the last-16 tie on Tuesday. Ahead of the crucial clash, there were doubts over the participation of three first team players who missed the weekend Premier League win at Crystal Palace. Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel revealed that Callum Hudson-Odoi would likely miss the game as he continues to struggle with pain around the Achilles. On the other hand, full-back Cesar Azpilicueta has responded better to treatment from a groin injury, while Mason Mount is expected to rejoin team training later on Monday. However, first-team full-backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell remain sidelined.
“Azpi looks much better than Callum,” said Tuchel at his pre-match press conference via video link from Cobham. “Callum did not train yesterday but Azpi trained and had no reaction so if it stays like this then he’s available for tomorrow. Mason did a very good individual session. He will try to come back to team training today but he was out maybe a little bit too long to start. Perhaps he is involved with the squad but he has not trained with the team yet.”
Romelu Lukaku had a day to forget during Chelsea’s 1-0 victory at Selhurst Park on Saturday. The Belgian striker had reportedly registered just seven touches of the ball throughout the 90 minutes. Tuchel was asked whether the absence of attacking full-backs James and Chilwell might have played a role in the Belgian striker’s difficult outing.
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“Every style changes with long-term injuries of key players,” he admitted. “We played the majority of our games in a back three with wing-backs and two of the key wing-backs are Reece and Chilly, who got injured at their peak level. They had a huge impact on our game offensively and defensively regarding Romelu with their runs, speed, penetration and their deliveries.
“We are not the only team where players have this huge impact and in the formation that we play, the wing-backs are in a crucial position to influence the game but still we can also play and win games without any player. This is our job and this is what we try to do when we have injuries or coronavirus cases. It’s on me to adapt and find solutions and Romelu will always be part of the solution.
“We have to deal with it. There is data out there and the data speaks a certain language. He was not involved in our game [against Palace], sometimes it’s like this with strikers if they struggle a bit with self-confidence or to find the space and get involved against a good defensive side. It’s not what we want and not what Romelu wants but it’s not the time to laugh about him and make jokes. He is in the spotlight and we will protect him because he’s our player.”
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