Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has confirmed that Eden Hazard returned to training this week and is in line to return against Crystal Palace.
The Belgian international missed the win over Sunderland in midweek with a knee injury, and there had been initial fears that it could be a problematic setback.
However, speaking to the media in his pre-match press conference on Friday, Conte allayed those fears further by insisting that his star man was back in training and pushing for a place in the starting line-up this weekend.
Conte on Hazard: "I think he's fit. I have to see if I decide to put him in the starting XI, but he trained with us" #cfc
— Liam Twomey (@liam_twomey) December 16, 2016
Hazard has been an influential figure for Chelsea so far this season, with the 25-year-old scoring eight goals and providing two assists in 18 games in all competitions.
In turn, although Chelsea were able to grind out a win to make it 10 consecutive victories without him earlier this week, they will be delighted to welcome him back to the team if he is fit enough to feature on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Conte also provided another boost to supporters by revealing that there are no new injury concerns in the squad and so he will have a strong group to select from as his side look to strengthen their grip on top spot in the Premier League.
Conte says he has no other injury worries ahead of Crystal Palace #cfc
— Liam Twomey (@liam_twomey) December 16, 2016
Chelsea currently sit six points clear of their nearest rivals heading into the weekend, and given the improvements made on both ends of the pitch over the last two months or so, they will be supremely confident of keeping this run going into the Christmas fixtures.