Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo have dropped an early team news hint ahead of Chelsea’s clash against Newcastle United. The Blues will welcome the Magpies to Stamford Bridge on Monday evening as either side hopes to climb the Premier League table.
Chelsea head into the tie off the back of a disappointing draw with Brentford, meanwhile, Newcastle will have a skip in their step after thrashing Wolves at St James’ Park. With Mauricio Pochettino under great pressure and the Magpies soaring, .
Nevertheless, Fernandez and Caicedo have posted pre-match graphic previews of the tie to their respective Instagram stories. Historically, this suggests they will be involved in some capacity. Thiago Silva, Alfie Gilchrist, Raheem Sterling and Deivid Washington, who’s never started for Chelsea, have also done the same, indicating that they too could feature.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the clash, Pochettino revealed Conor Gallagher is a doubt for the clash while also ruling out Levi Colwill and Ben Chilwell. The Chelsea boss said: “I think you all know now that we have added to the list of injured players.
“Levi Colwill and Chilly, Chilwell. On Saturday, Gallagher has not trained because he has a virus. That is the news from the medical,” added Pochettino. “He is still not here. In the last three days of training, he is not here. We will see on Saturday or tomorrow if he can be with the possibility to train.
“The problem with this kind of situation is you lose weight, the energy is always down, you need time to recover and see if it can be possible to be available and in which level you can be available. We need to assess him in the next few days.”
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With such a long list of injuries, Pochettino was asked whether this is the unluckiest he’s felt in his career. The former Tottenham Hotspur boss said: “Yeah because we remember things from the past with different clubs, I think so.
“Already when we arrived here at Chelsea, we analysed the situation, that was one of the weakest points in the last season, too many injuries. Too much bad luck, you know?”
With that being said, Pochettino will be relying on the likes of Fernandez, Caicedo and Sterling to step up for the big occasion. While a few other players have also posted pre-match previews of the Newcastle fixture to their Instagram stories, it does not necessarily mean they will all start.
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.