Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed- Christian Pulisic is the only absentee for tomorrow night’s Champions League Group H match versus Malmo. That now means Pulisic will be absent for 11/13 Blues matches this season.
Still recovering from an ankle injury he suffered while on international duty, in a World Cup qualifier versus Honduras, he has not featured for club since mid-August. We covered that all in detail over at this link.
Chelsea vs Malmo UCL Group Stage FYIs
Kickoff: Oct 20, 8pm, Stamford Bridge
Chelsea Starting XI Prediction: go here
Group Standings, Form Guide Chelsea 2nd, 3pts, LW Malmo 4th, 0pts, LL
Now that we covered who is missing, let’s go over who’s returning. Thiago Silva wasn’t able to feature on the weekend, as the Premier League refused to adjust to the commuter logistical nightmare that comes with South American World Cup Qualifiers, and the quick turnaround which doesn’t gel with flying halfway across the world.
But he’s back in the mix now, as is winger Hakim Ziyech, who has recovered from an undisclosed illness, which gave him a headache. Finally, Antonio Rudiger suffered a back injury while on international duty with Germany.
While he missed out in the west London derby win over Brentford, he’s back in action now.
Prediction: Chelsea 3, Malmo 0
This one really should be a laugher, so plan accordingly.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
He co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.