Chelsea Manager Antonio Conte held his weekly news conference a few hours ago, and in it he gave a few fitness and availability updates on some key players. The Blues welcome their bitter rivals Arsenal to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, in a fixture that will have heightened security due to the terrorist attack today on the London tube.
The IED explosion injured 29 people, and it occurred less than a mile from the stadium at Parsons Green.
Attendees are being asked to arrive much earlier than usual, in order to account for the additional security measures.
Regarding the much less serious on-the-pitch issues, Conte had some news to share regarding injuries and his team sheet. The Italian revealed the latest updates on the statuses of Eden Hazard, Danny Drinkwater and Gary Cahill.
“About Eden, for sure he’s improving,” he said. “To have this type of patience for him is paying off. He’s very close to be totally fit.
“We have to continue in this way. Don’t forget I have to make the best decision for the team, for the players. But I think he’s improving a lot and he’s very close to be 100 percent fit.
“For Gary, he came back against Qarabag and I think he played very well, a good performance. I’m pleased for him. I have another day to reflect and then to make the best decision for Sunday (whether he starts).”
“I think it’s very difficult to see (Drinkwater) before the international break. He needs time to recover. It’s a pity because he was starting to work and to improve his physical condition and also to adapt himself in our idea of football.
“Now we have to move all these situations (back). And in two, three weeks, four weeks, I don’t know.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now and Minute Media. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Sound Cloud, LinkedIn and YouTube.