Antonio Conte will be missing the services of a few players when Chelsea welcome a Rafa Benitez led Newcastle United to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Conte took the time to provide an injury update and revealed that David Luiz and Charly Musonda are still injured, while Michy Batshuayi and Kenedy have only just returned to first team training.
He said, “Luiz and Musonda are out, Batshuayi and Kenedy have just started to work with us. They need time to find their best physical condition but it’s important they are back.”
Speaking about David Luiz, who hasn’t played since October, the Chelsea boss said, “Now David Luiz is having treatment in his knee. How long (will he be out for)? It’s not simple to understand how long but at the same time the doctor is doing his best to recover him soon.”
So, it is likely that Andreas Christensen will continue to start in the centre of Conte’s back-three, as the sweeper. The young Dane has impressed in nearly every game he’s played and is fast emerging as a fan favourite at the Bridge for his composed, no nonsense defending.
The Blues boss was sent off for the first time in his Chelsea stint against Swansea by referee Neil Swarbrick on Wednesday. The FA has since charged him with misconduct and the former Juventus boss will now have to pay a fine. Conte, however, insisted that he respected the decision and it would be right to pay the penalty.
He also went on to say, “I hope the referee learns something because for me Swansea were wasting time so he must protect the team that wanted to play football and win the game. I was angry because twice I said they were wasting time, the third time I shouted, but I accept the decision of the referee,’ before adding ‘Now I’ll try to avoid suggesting this to the fourth official, I’ll change because I’ll push my players to tell the referee.”