Thomas Tuchel hails Chelsea’s ‘huge’ FA Cup boost as N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic passed fit
Head coach is attempting to win his first trophy since taking charge of the Blues
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Thomas Tuchel has hailed two “huge” FA Cup final boosts for Chelsea as Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante have been passed fit to face Leicester.
Croatia star Kovacic has missed nine matches with a hamstring problem but is now ready to return for Saturday’s Wembley showdown.
France World Cup winner Kante was kept out of Wednesday’s 1-0 Premier League loss to Arsenal due to a painful Achilles issue. But now Blues boss Tuchel has confirmed both midfield men are ready to take on the Foxes.
“The whole group is available, Kova is with us again,” said Tuchel. “It’s huge because Mateo has everything that we need in midfield. He has experience, power, acceleration, deceleration, he can dribble the ball and beat players. He’s fast, he has physical ability and he’s experienced in big games and in the Premier League.
“When we missed N’Golo and Mateo in the same match we lacked a lot of quality, energy and experience. Billy Gilmour did a huge job in both games but it’s not fair to compare him to these players because they have more experience and they are a step ahead in their development.
“It’s what we need in the key moments of the season. It’s big news for us that Kova is back, he has a huge impact in the dressing room around big matches.”
Kante formed a pivotal part of Leicester’s Premier League title win in 2015 and will now go up against his old club in Saturday’s cup final.
The linchpin midfielder has been back to his very best under German boss Tuchel, with the Chelsea head coach delighted to have one of his chief lieutenants back in top condition.
“Yes, it’s huge,” said Tuchel. “We took the decision together, him, me and the medical team, to leave him out and give him this Arsenal match to rest and have treatment to his right Achilles.
“It was pain management. It’s not a huge injury, it’s nothing you need to be afraid of getting bigger. It was just there, it was a bit annoying, just pain management and pain treatment. So he did all training sessions yesterday and today full, no complaints. He will start tomorrow and very likely finish the game for us.”
Chelsea’s defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday has left the Blues exposed in their quest for a top-four Premier League finish.
Tuchel’s men will face Leicester again on Tuesday in a crucial league encounter, with the Blues boss accepting the two quick-fire Foxes clashes could now prove the crux of the close to their season.
“These are two finals and we don’t think about anything other than the two finals,” said Tuchel. “There’s the final for the cup and the final for the top four.
“We missed the chance against Arsenal to be decisive, have the decisive advantage, so now we have to cope with it, and first of all show the reaction at Wembley to have the upper hand on Tuesday. And this is what we are up for.”
PA
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments