Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that club captain Cesar Azpilicueta and forward Kai Havertz are both available for Saturday's FA Cup third-round match against Chesterfield, according to the club's official website.
Both Azpilicueta and Havertz were forced off during Chelsea's 2-0 Carabao Cup semi-final first leg win over Tottenham. Although Havertz gave Chelsea a five-minute lead, he did not return to the field in the second half due to a suspected broken finger. Meanwhile, Azpiliceuta was taken off in the final minutes of the game due to cramps.
Although there were concerns that the pair would miss Saturday's FA Cup match against Chesterfield, Tuchel put any doubts to rest by providing a fitness update at his pre-match press conference.
"From the other night's game, Azpilicueta only had a minor cramp, so there was no injury, and he is fine." Kai's finger is fine to play football, so our doctors and physios will look after him."
Tuchel has provided us with encouraging news ahead of the FA Cup match in what is already a hectic January, with multiple fixtures in various competitions looming and injuries and COVID-19 taking their toll on the squad.
Both Silva and Kante were forced to withdraw from the Tottenham game in midweek due to Covid, and given the virus's unpredictable nature, we can only hope that no one else becomes ill before the Chesterfield match on Saturday.
The German also provided an update on defender Andreas Christensen, who has been out injured for some time, informing the press that the Dane is recovering well and hopes to play against Chesterfield this weekend.
The manager confirmed that both Thiago Silva and N'golo Kante would miss the FA Cup tie against the National League leaders due to Covid, after the pair tested positive for the coronavirus just before the Tottenham game in midweek.
Tuchel stated that he was hopeful Christensen would be available for the FA Cup match, giving him more options in defense when he names his starting XI.
With Chelsea already dealing with a defensive injury crisis, the fact that Azpilicueta is back in contention for the FA Cup game is huge. We have already lost Reece James to injury this season, and if Azpilicueta is injured after the Tottenham game, we will have no established right-backs to play against Chesterfield.
The return of Havertz after breaking his finger in the Tottenham game is also a huge boost for us, with the German forward being one of the few bright sparks in attack this season, as Lukaku and Werner do not appear to have fully hit their stride yet.
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