Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is available for their Premier League clash against Crystal Palace
In his pre-match press conference (h/t Football.London), Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel shared that English midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek would be available for their upcoming Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace.
The 26-year-old midfielder has struggled with injury issues throughout his career and they have proven to be a great obstacle on several instances. After missing out on potential appearances in the recently concluded FIFA Club World Cup, Loftus-Cheek would be looking to gain some valuable minutes under his belt.
The Blues have already faced a collection of injury issues at the moment with Reece James, Ben Chilwell, and Mason Mount all ruled out due to injury. This has put a lot of strain on the West Londoner who already have a packed schedule and will be competing across several competitions this month.
Chelsea and a tough run of fixtures
The Stamford Bridge outfit are set to face LOSC Lille in the UEFA Champions League on 23rd February and take on arch-rivals Liverpool for the coveted EFL Cup trophy on the 27th of this month. Before that the West Londoners will be taking on the Eagles in the Premier League.
In his presser (h/t Football.London), Thomas Tuchel spoke about the kind of injury that Ruben Loftus-Cheek had to endure. His comments also offered some respite as he shared that the midfielder would be available for their fixture against Palace:
“He had issue with his Achilles. Not a big injury but painful. It held him back from not being on the pitch. Since we’ve come back, he’s been very strong and feels free. He is available for the game tomorrow.”
With a number of fixtures in a relatively short span of time, Tuchel’s men would have a tough task ahead of them. Keeping in mind that Loftus-Cheek is just regaining his full fitness and Mount could be injured for a while, the likes of Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz could become instrumental for the Blues to help them get through this patch.
While the English midfielder is available it is interesting to see whether the 48-year-old manager would risk playing him against Crystal palace or save him for their coming fixtures in the UEFA Champions League or the Carabao Cup. All of the other players in the team will have to step up to the plate and deliver under such circumstances.
That being said, the German manager would be looking for his players to deliver their best performance on the day. Palace have grown a great deal under Patrick Viera and our very own Conor Gallagher has played a huge part in their success this campaign.
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Whilst they may not be the most feared opponent, the Eagles are more than capable of causing an upset on their day. The fans would be hoping for a favourable result Selhurst Park will help give them the required momentum to bag another trophy in the form of the Carabao Cup before the month is over.