Chelsea have been handed a double injury boost ahead of their weekend trip to Burnley in Saturday’s Premier League lunchtime showdown.
Blues manager Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Moises Caicedo and Mykhailo Mudryk are part of the travelling squad despite last weekend’s injury scare.
Both players played a prominent role as Chelsea bagged only their second Premier League victory of the 2023/24 campaign in a 2-0 win over capital neighbours Fulham.
Mudryk finally netted his first goal in Chelsea colours after 24 attempts, collecting a sumptuous through ball from Levi Colwill before slotting past Bernd Leno.
However, the 22-year-old winger failed to emerge from the tunnel for the second 45 minutes, with Ian Maatsen stepping in, handing a major injury scare to the London giants.
Caicedo also put in a dominant display in the middle of the park, boasting 100% long-ball accuracy while winning seven of his ten attempted ground battles.
His fitness ultimately caught up with him late into stoppage time, with Noni Madueke replacing him, but Pochettino has confirmed that Caicedo and Mudryk have passed fitness tests ahead of the Burnley trip.
“Yes, both in the squad,” Pochettino said (via football.london) in his pre-match press conference.
“We will decide later whether they have a chance for the start. It was close last week to join us.
“This week has trained well. I still have not decided – I need to check with the medical staff as I’m straight from the training pitch and thirty minutes late – I am sorry for that.”
Pochettino also claimed he is anticipating a ‘tough’ clash against a Burnley side whose only victory came last weekend in a narrow win over fellow promoted Luton Town.
“Every single game is important for us,” the Argentine tactician added. “To settle our principles and help the players arrive at their best and in their best form that they can.
“Every single game is important, and tomorrow will be a tough game because it is a team that runs a lot and tries to play. It is going to be tough, and we go there to get three points.”
After introducing their recently announced front-of-shirt sponsorship agreement with Infinite Athlete in a winning debut, Chelsea will be keen to extend their two-match winning streak in Lancashire.
