Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Romelu Lukaku will make his second appearance for the club in Sunday’s London derby against Arsenal.
Lukaku did not play in Chelsea’s 3-0 Premier League win against Crystal Palace on Saturday because he was following coronavirus protocols after returning to the club from Inter Milan.
After leading the Serie A club clinch its first league title in 11 years last season, the 28-year-old returned to Chelsea in a reputed 97.5 million pound ($135 million) move seven years after his departure.
“We anticipate Romelu finishing quarantine in time to join the team for training on Tuesday. We’ll attempt to get him ready for the game against Arsenal, and maybe he’ll be able to play “Tuchel remarked.
N’Golo Kante, who missed Chelsea’s opening league game of the season as a precaution due to ankle soreness, is expected to play on Sunday, according to Tuchel, but Ruben Loftus-Cheek is out due to a positive Covid-19 test.
“On Friday, N’Golo complained of pain in his ankle. He sensed it during the Super Cup warm-up against Villarreal. He played a little bit in agony, and he felt it again on Friday “Tuchel said.
“We decided to pull him out now, at the start of the season, and not take any chances.” “I expect N’Golo to return in the middle of the week to prepare for Arsenal.” Ruben had a positive test on Thursday, which was awful. That’s why he couldn’t be in the (Palace) group since he’s in isolation and following the protocol.”