JAKARTA - Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante has been ruled out of the Premier League match against Manchester United on Sunday. Kante, suffered a knee injury while playing against Juventus in the Champions League.
Not only Kante, manager Thomas Tuchel is also waiting for news of left-back Ben Chilwell whether he needs surgery for the same problem. Chilwell is even said to have suffered a more severe injury.
"N'Golo sprained his knee a bit against Juventus and is feeling better, but it looks like he will be out for a few days. We still have a bit of hope but it's almost a miracle if he succeeds," Tuchel told Antara, Saturday.
"Ben is out, he has a partial tear in his anterior cruciate ligament and the decision is to treat him conservatively. The next six weeks will tell his story if he is healed and available or if he needs surgery."
Striker Romelu Lukaku, who has not played for over a month with an ankle problem, is also unlikely to start against United. Tuchel said the Belgian needed more time to fully fit.
"The chances of him starting are not great because we can't say for sure what happens in that game and we have to find a balance between playing really competitive games for 90 minutes," Tuchel said.
Tuchel stressed that United will not take United lightly even though the team has been playing poorly lately.
"We will never write off anyone in this match. They are a big club and have experienced players," said the German coach.
"We've been through difficult matches and now we are heading for the next difficult game. We will be challenged at the highest level again on Sunday," concluded Tuchel.
Chelsea, who is at the top of the table, has collected 29 points from 12 matches or 12 points above United, who is in eighth place.
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