Chelsea could reportedly be set for a major injury boost as Antonio Rudiger could be available for Frank Lampard after the international break.
The 26-year-old has featured on just three occasions across all competitions so far this season as he has been dogged by injuries.
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That latest of which was a groin problem which has forced him to sit out six games in total, and so Chelsea have been patiently waiting for the German international to make a full recovery and get back in contention to make his comeback.
As seen in the tweet below from The Athletic’s Simon Johnson, it has been suggested that Chelsea are optimistic that Rudiger could return to action after the international break.
Small injury update. @TheAthleticUK understands that #Rudiger is feeling fine after minor groin injury sustained at Wolves last month and there is growing optimism he will return for #cfc after the international break.
— Simon Johnson (@SJohnsonSport) October 7, 2019
That would suggest he could feature against Newcastle Utd at Stamford Bridge on October 19, but time will tell if he does indeed get the green light from the Chelsea medical staff to play.
With their win over the weekend, the Blues moved up to fifth place in the Premier League standings, and scoring goals certainly hasn’t been a problem for Lampard’s men as they’ve bagged 18 in just eight league outings.
However, keeping them out at the other end has been a problem as they’ve conceded 14 goals in those eight games, giving them the worst defensive record of the top 16 teams in the table.
That undoubtedly has to improve if Lampard is going to lead them into the Champions League places in the coming months, and so that underlines the importance of getting Rudiger back to add experience and defensive solidity in the heart of the backline.
Time will tell if that comeback comes next time out, but the update above is positive and it seems as though the centre-half is certainly on the right track to getting back out on the pitch.
