Two key Chelsea stars miss training at Cobham ahead of Champions League clash vs FC Salzburg
Chelsea were without Edouard Mendy and N’Golo Kante for their Tuesday training session at their Cobham base.
Graham Potter, who replaced Thomas Tuchel as the club’s new head coach last week, was without the pair ahead of their Champions League fixture against FC Salzburg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
The 47-year-old will take charge of his first game since being appointed and will be hoping to get Chelsea back to winning ways after defeat last time out, which was against Dinamo Zagreb in Group E.
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As the players took to the training pitches at a rainy Cobham on Tuesday morning, there were two absentees.
Kante was the unsurprising absentee due to suffering a hamstring injury last month, leaving him sidelined for several weeks.
Former boss Tuchel said: “We are talking about four weeks plus.
"I told you at the end of last season he is our key player.
"He gives something to our team that no other player in the world can give to any other team. That makes him a key player. If your key player is out, it’s a situation you don’t like but have to deal with. It has huge influence.”
But Football Daily captured the footage of the training session and revealed Mendy was also absent.
❌ N'Golo Kante
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) September 13, 2022
❌ Édouard Mendy
🔵 Chelsea missing just two players from their training session today pic.twitter.com/hdg7iGfbnx
Mendy was left on the bench in the defeat to Zagreb after Kepa Arrizabalaga was preferred to the Senegal international.
With Mendy missing training on Tuesday, it is likely that Kepa will begin in goal against FC Salzburg in the capital on Wednesday, getting the first chance to impress new head coach Potter.
It has been reported by Adam Newson that Mendy is unlikely to play on Wednesday after struggling with injury and undergoing treatment over the last few days.
😅 Positive energy at Cobham / #UCL pic.twitter.com/bAn62wOZ20
— Absolute Chelsea (@AbsoluteChelsea) September 13, 2022
Full Chelsea squad who trained at Cobham on Tuesday
Goalkeepers: Arrizabalaga, Bettinelli
Defenders: Chalobah, Chilwell, James, Koulibaly, Silva, Azpilicueta, Cucurella, Fofana
Midfielders: Jorginho, Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek, Gallagher, Mount, Zakaria, Chukwuemeka
Forwards: Sterling, Havertz, Ziyech, Broja, Pulisic, Aubameyang
*List includes who was pictured in training - more could have been involved
Topics: Chelsea, Graham Potter, Red Bull Salzburg, Champions League, Edouard Mendy, NGolo Kante
Matthew Debono