Chelsea are back in Seville as they prepare for their Champions League quarter-final second leg with Porto.
Thomas Tuchel‘s men established a two-goal lead during the first leg thanks to goals from Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell, and they will be looking to finish the job on the same pitch with both legs being played at Sevilla’s Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
Ahead of Tuesday night’s encounter, Chelsea enjoyed a gentle session on the stadium pitch on Monday evening, as is tradition before UEFA fixtures.
And after seeing how the Chelsea stars shook off any rustiness following that excellent performance in the 4-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, we have rounded up what we noticed from the session.
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N’Golo Kante looks fit
Kante made a return from injury off the bench during the win over Crystal Palace and it seems there has been no setback for him after that cameo.
Kante looked in traditionally high spirits as he took part in the session along with his teammates on Monday night.
The injury was a muscular one picked up from international duty but that now looks to be behind the Frenchman, who is in contention to face Porto.
Tuchel said ahead of the Tuesday’s clash: “It’s difficult to imagine playing a game like this without N’Golo, so I think it is important we do look at him tomorrow before making a decision,” said Tuchel. “We absolutely have to be careful with him.
“I will take a look at him after training tonight and see how he is in the morning before deciding whether he should start or whether he can be used from the bench again.
“The question for tomorrow is whether we want N’Golo to start or do we absolutely want him to finish the game.”
And Tammy Abraham too…
Abraham has struggled with injury of late, still carrying the ankle knock he picked up against Burnley way back in January.
The striker drew concern from boss Tuchel in recent weeks with the German head coach saying: “Honestly I’m a bit concerned, because it’s still the pain from the tackle against Burnley.
(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
“So we’re talking about a long time now where he does not really feel 100 per cent free and comfortable; I can see it in training. Even if he finishes training, I can see that it’s not 100 per cent that he has trust or feels totally free.”
But he has returned to the bench for the games against Porto and Crystal Palace and he looks to be in good spirits ahead of the Porto clash on Tuesday.
He took full part in the pre-match session and even bagged himself a piggyback from teammate Reece James.
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Timo Werner all smiles
Timo Werner is not getting down about his inconsistent form, still appearing with smiles aplenty during Chelsea’s training session ahead of the Porto clash.
The Germany international was pictured trotting about and chatting with teammates with a smile on his face.
Werner was dropped for the clash with Crystal Palace, but he will be hoping to feature against Porto having started in the first leg.