Pochettino reveals Chelsea players who will miss FA Cup fixture

Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino in his pre-match press conference ahead of an all-important 3rd round FA Cup fixture against Preston has confirmed players who will miss out on the fixture scheduled for Saturday, January 6, 2023.

The head coach confirmed in his press conference that Chelsea will in fact be without key players in the fixture.

Will Chilwell and Chukwuemeka play for Chelsea this weekend?

Pochettino revealed that Chelsea will still be without Ben Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka even though the two players have returned to training. In his press conference that they are both recovering and doing well in training but will still not be available ahead of the FA Cup 3rd round fixture of Chelsea vs Preston.

He said, "Chilwell and Carney are not available for tomorrow. We see for the next game. They are doing well. They are training with the group the last few days. We are so happy."

Pochettino also gave fresh updates on the availability of Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badieshile. He revealed that a return date for Lavia can not be confirmed at the moment following his quad injury in the fixture against Crystal Palace. He however stated that Beniot will be available for Chelsea in the premier league fixture against Nottingham Forest.

He stated, "Lavia is recovering. We still don't know when he will be available again, problem in his quad against Palace. Benoit, I think, is going to be available next week."

Chelsea give fresh update on Christopher Nkunku's injury

Pochettino has confirmed that the French international Christopher Nkunku will not start for Chelsea in the FA Cup tie against Preston stating that the forward suffered a setback. He however added that Christopher Nkunku will be added to the squad and assessed to see if he will be fit enough to play.

He also stated that there is a possibility of Armando featuring in the game. He stated, "Armando is yes... possibility to play. Christoph won't start tomorrow as he suffered an issue in the week. He will be in the squad but will not start."

He also spoke about Chelsea's chances of winning the FA and Carabao Cup and the importance of the competition for the Blues. He stated, "Of course, the FA Cup and Carabao Cup are competitions [we want to win]. We want to build our run step by step. That starts tomorrow. It's a really important competition for us. Through [both], we can achieve Europe next season. Not too many changes [vs Preston]. We are playing with circumstances. It's not going to change too much the team. You will see maybe one or two who are normally not in the starting XI. We take like it's a Premier League game."

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