It had been previously reported that Chelsea midfield maestro N’Golo Kante was ruled out of the UEFA Europa league final against Arsenal on Wednesday night, due to a new injury that he suffered in training over the weekend. The situation has since changed though, according to The Guardian.
While he did miss the training session yesterday, the Blues have refused to rule him out for the London derby European trophy game, and he is expected to travel with the team to Baku, Azerbaijan. Bottom line: the 2016-17 PFA Player of the Year faces a late fitness test for UEL final.
The Guardian explains that: “Kanté, who had only just recovered from a hamstring complaint that ruled him out of Chelsea’s previous two matches, twisted a knee while making a challenge in a training session on Saturday.”
His absence will definitely be felt, not just because he’s a game-changing talent, but also because the Blues already have a lot of fitness concerns. Antonio Rudiger and Callum Hudson-Odoi suffered season ending injuries during the run-in of the Premier League season while Ruben Loftus-Cheek injured his Achilles during the charity match in New England on May 15.
If N’Golo Kante can’t go, then it’s four, not three, key players out of commission for the Blues in Baku on Wednesday night.
Chelsea vs Arsenal UEFA Europa League Final FYIs
Kickoff: Wednesday, May 29, 8pm, Baku Olympic Stadium
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Injury Report for Both Sides: go to this link
Starting XI Predictions: Chelsea Arsenal FC
Manager Press Conference Videos and Quotes: coming next week
Odds via Bet Fair: Chelsea win 4/6, Arsenal win 6/5
Prediction: Chelsea 3, Arsenal 2
Picking the Blues as we believe it will be Eden Hazard’s final match with the club, and a world-class player like that will be motivated to go out with a trophy.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, also contributes to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.