Thomas Tuchel provides Chelsea injury updates ahead of Juventus clash
By Tom Gott
Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Chelsea will be without Reece James, Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic for Wednesday's Champions League tie.
James picked up a nasty ankle injury and limped off in the first half of the 1-0 defeat to Manchester City, joining Mount and Pulisic on the sidelines while the pair recover from their own issues.
There had been hopes that, of the three, it would be Mount who would be able to return on Wednesday, but Tuchel confirmed in his pre-match press conference that none of the trio had made it back in time.
"Christian, Reece and Mason are out due to injury," Tuchel said.
"On Reece's injury, it's still very painful. It will come down to pain management, how much he can accept, but right now we are looking at a minimum of one more week."
Alongside the trio, Chelsea will also be without midfielder N'Golo Kante, who Tuchel confirmed has tested positive for COVID-19.
"N'Golo, unfortunately, tested positive and needs to quarantine and follow the government protocols," Tuchel revealed. "He was not in training obviously and is not with the group."
Chelsea are looking to bounce back after the bitterly disappointing defeat to City, in which they failed to manage a shot on target for the first time in Tuchel's tenure, but the boss stressed that getting back on track against a side like Juventus is no guarantee.
"They are so experienced, it's such a big club with so much Champions League experience," he said. "They will enjoy a different competition. They had a rough start, according to their results in Serie A, but they were very convincing in the Champions League.
"We play Juventus at Juventus, it's a no-brainer that it demands respect for the quality and history of this club, and at the same time, we need to regroup and face the challenge with positive energy to bounce back after a defeat."