Chelsea injury news ahead of Graham Potter’s first Premier League match against Crystal Palace on October 1st.

Unforeseen circumstances have somewhat blighted Graham Potter’s first weeks in charge at Chelsea, however, their 28-day wait for a Premier League match has provided the former Brighton boss with invaluable time on the training ground to familiarise himself with the Blues’ new-look squad.

Furthermore, the absence of fixtures allowed unfit members of the club’s squad to push for a return to action against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

Both N’Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy were ruled out of the Champions League draw against RB Salzburg -Potter’s first and so far only game in charge- after sustaining knocks under the Englishman’s predecessor Thomas Tuchel.

Kante has only played two matches this season after injuring his hamstring against Tottenham in August, with a knee injury keeping Mendy out of the first two Champions League games against Dinamo Zagreb and Salzburg.

Here’s the latest on the pair:

N’Golo Kante

Chelsea today released eagerly-anticipated footage of Kante in training this afternoon as the midfielder nears a return to competitive action.

Didier Deschamps left the 31-year-old out of his France squad for fixtures against Austria and Denmark, allowing time for him to work on getting fit for a period of nine matches in October which could define the early stages of Potter’s reign and his side’s season.

Despite being considered a key player at Stamford Bridge, Kante is out of contract at the end of the season and will be able to negotiate a free transfer in January. It is believed fitness issues have not reduced a long list of potential suitors.

Edouard Mendy

Twitter also suggested that Mendy could be available for the short trip to face Patrick Vieira’s side this weekend, having been side-lined the final match of Tuchel’s Chelsea tenure with injury and matches that were then cancelled.

He found himself on the bench against Zagreb due to a combination of a knee injury and the chance to give Kepa game-time, with Mendy also in the worst run of form at Chelsea since joining in 2020.

Though, it should be pointed out that the Senegal shot-stopper may also not be Potter’s first choice, with Kepa’s ball-playing ability possibly being a key factor in the fight for the No.1 spot.

Should Mendy feature against Palace, it will be his 100th appearance in Chelsea colours, during which time he has kept 49 clean sheets.

Source: Football london

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