Chelsea Manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed that it would take a ‘miracle’ for Mateo Kovacic to recover in time for Saturday’s FA Cup final against Liverpool.
The Croatia international left Elland Road with a severely swollen ankle after a horror tackle in Chelsea’s 3-0 won over Leeds on Wednesday.
The Blues are now facing a midfield crisis ahead of their Wembley showdown, leaving the Manager desperately trying to come up with solutions.
France midfielder N’Golo Kante is also facing a race to be fit, having missed the last two games with a muscular issue and now has two days to prove his fitness.
Kovacic is being assessed by Chelsea’s medical team, but the player fears his cup final hopes are over. And Tuchel has also resigned himself to being without one of his key players after seeing the state of his ankle in the dressing room after last night’s match.
“I tell you not as a coach and not as an expert, but for me it is very unlikely he will play,” he said. “First of all, if Mateo goes out, he never goes out. He played in the semi-final of the FA Cup with the same injury and tried to play another 15 minutes, which was almost impossible.
“I tell you not as a coach and not as an expert, but for me it is very unlikely he will play,” he said. “First of all, if Mateo goes out, he never goes out. He played in the semi-final of the FA Cup with the same injury and tried to play another 15 minutes, which was almost impossible.
“Now he went off (early). It was a swollen ankle and he is in a lot of pain. We need to wait for the examinations, but it is very unlikely he can play. It is absolutely bad news for us on a perfect evening.”
Tuchel added: “If he misses it, I’m very disappointed because he was a clear starter. He is a key figure for us in midfield. He played against Liverpool in the last two matches from the beginning and was very strong.
“He’s super, super hungry, determined and excited to play these matches and of course he is in fear he will miss it. We will see. We need to wait. Maybe we have a miracle and we make it possible.”
Meanwhile, the reckless challenge from James after 24 minutes earned him an immediate red card as Chelsea moved a step closer to securing Champions League qualification with the win, with Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Romelu Lukaku all scoring. Tuchel hopes it will provide a boost for Saturday.
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