INTERNATIONAL: Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante will not be involved in the club's Champions League opener against Zenit St Petersburg on Tuesday night. Manager Thomas Tuchel says Kante will miss the Group H clash owing to an ankle injury. Kante has been struggling with the ankle injury all season. He was substituted at halftime against Liverpool before the international break, when the problem flared up again. He subsequently missed France's World Cup qualifiers.
Chelsea has been hoping he’d be back in action against Zenit. Tuchel addressed reporters ahead of Tuesday’s match at Stamford Bridge, saying he expects the 30-year-old to return for the club’s next Premier League fixture on Sunday:
"N'Golo had two training sessions yesterday and trained again today, but the Champions League game comes a bit too early for him. We won't take the risk with him now at this moment of the season. We have decided to give him another load in training tomorrow...he will train with us all on Friday to be ready totally for Tottenham."
Tuchel added that Chelsea will also be without American forward Christian Pulisic, with him also recovering from an ankle injury.
