TIRED Chelsea will look to secure third place in the Premier League tomorrow with a win at Leicester after their gruelling Europa League shootout win. But they must do so without N’Golo Kante and potentially Eden Hazard. The midfielder – who of course was instrumental in the Leicester side that won the league in 2016 […]
TIRED Chelsea will look to secure third place in the Premier League tomorrow with a win at Leicester after their gruelling Europa League shootout win.
But they must do so without N’Golo Kante and potentially Eden Hazard.
The midfielder – who of course was instrumental in the Leicester side that won the league in 2016 – will not be fit for another return to his former stomping ground.
Kante, 28, picked up a hamstring injury against Watford last week and faces a race against time to be fit for the Europa League final on May 29.
It means Jorginho will once again start in the base of the midfield with Ross Barkley on one side and Mateo Kovacic on the other.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek limped off against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday and is not expected to be fit.
But if the England man and Kante are both available for the final, tomorrow could be Kovacic’s final match of his loan spell.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s player of the year Hazard could start from the bench in what is expected to be his final Premier League game.
The Belgian looks set to join Real Madrid in the summer and boss Maurizio Sarri may not risk an injury with that – and Baku’s final – in mind.
So Willian and Pedro are set to start on the wings, either side of Gonzalo Higuain.
Physically I think we can recover even if not 100 per cent, but mentally it is more difficult.
Maurizio Sarri
Like Kovacic, this may well be Higuain’s final appearance for the Blues if Olivier Giroud is given the nod in Azerbaijan.
Kepa Arrizabalaga will start between the sticks after his heroics in the shootout against Frankfurt.
In front of him, David Luiz – fresh from signing a new two-year deal at Stamford Bridge – will have to deal with Jamie Vardy alongside Cesar Azpilicueta.
The captain is likely to start at centre-back with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen both injured, with Sarri not the sentimental type to give Gary Cahill one final Chelsea appearance.
So Davide Zappacosta should start at right-back with Marcos Alonso set to come in for Emerson Palmieri on the left.
Sarri knows in-form Leicester will provide a tough challenge for his side as they look to end their own season on a high.
And with a gruelling 120-minute battle with Eintracht on Thursday, the Chelsea players know their opposition will be far fresher.
The Italian said: “For sure it will be very difficult on Sunday. It will be difficult not only physically but also mentally because it is not easy to recover from a match like Thursday.
“Physically I think we can recover even if not 100 per cent, but mentally it is more difficult.
“But we need to consider that our best match in my opinion was here at Stamford Bridge against Tottenham, three days after 120 minutes in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.
“Of course now it is more difficult because we have played 61 matches.”
