Chelsea have been handed two bits of major injury news as Eden Hazard and Tiemoue Bakayoko could feature against Tottenham on Sunday.
The reigning Premier League champions suffered a desperately disappointing defeat in their season opener last weekend at home to Burnley, and coupled with frustration in the transfer market, it’s been a difficult period for Antonio Conte.
With a derby against Tottenham next, it could yet get worse for the Italian tactician, but The Sun report that Hazard could make the bench this weekend while Bakayoko may well make his Blues debut after his summer switch from Monaco.
Both players returned from injury to feature in a win over QPR Under-20s at Cobham on Thursday, in what the Sun call a ‘secret match’ which turns out to be not so much of a secret, with Hazard even finding the back of the net in the encounter.
Bakayoko had been sidelined with a knee injury that he suffered last season while still with the Ligue 1 champions, while his Belgian teammate fractured his foot in June on international duty.
Their respective returns will be crucial for Chelsea moving forward, as they will undoubtedly have major roles to play this coming season. With 45 minutes in his legs, Hazard will have no realistic chance of starting against Spurs, but he could come off the bench if needed.
Whether or not either play this weekend though, Conte will be delighted to see them making major progress and that can only be positive for Chelsea in the weeks and months ahead.