Graham Potter confirms four Chelsea stars will miss Crystal Palace

Graham Potter has confirmed N’Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy are still unavailable for Chelsea, while two other players are expected to miss this weekend’s trip to Crystal Palace through illness.

World Cup winner and influential midfielder Kante has featured in just two of Chelsea’s eight matches this season.

The 31-year-old returned to training during the international break but won’t feature at Selhurst Park on Saturday as he continues to work his way back to full fitness.

First-choice goalkeeper Mendy is also sidelined for the Blues, having missed Chelsea’s last two games through injury.

Chelsea summer signings Marc Cucurella and Carney Chukwuemeka are also set to miss the club’s first Premier League game in almost a month through illness.

Asked for an update on his squad on Friday, new Chelsea boss Potter said: ‘N’Golo is doing fine in terms of coming through the rehab stages. He has been on the grass with the team but he’s not in full training.

‘We have a bit of illness with Marc Cucurella and also Carney Chukwuemeka. Apart from that everyone is fit.’

The last time Chelsea played a Premier League match – against West Ham on September 3 – Thomas Tuchel was in the Stamford Bridge hot-seat.

But Tuchel lost his job just days later and Chelsea quickly appointed former Brighton boss Potter as their new manager.

Asked about the changes at Chelsea, Potter added: ‘Change is good and it’s bad. It’s challenging. It’s how you deal with it and work with it.

‘It’s well documented what’s happened in terms of ownership, the coach, different people. It’s life and how you manage it.

‘It’s more than a short term challenge, how you align the resources you have, football idea to make it successful.

‘The past, resources, history doesn’t guarantee anything in this league. There’s a lot of clubs that spend a lot of money and don’t achieve what they want to.

‘The strategy has to be clear. Life or death is a bit dramatic, it is what it is. I can’t control people’s perception. I focus on the next match, training session and how to improve the team.’

Chelsea are seventh in the Premier League ahead of Saturday’s trip to Crystal Palace, who are 16th with one win from six.

Potter insists he is ‘not in the business of comparing myself’ to his predecessor Tuchel, who guided Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021.

He said: ‘Everybody has got slightly different idea on football. Don’t get too wound up about that.

‘It is more a choice we all make and we have to make those choices work. I have huge respect for Thomas and his teams. I’m not in the business of comparing myself to him or anyone else.’

Chelsea drew 1-1 with Red Bull Salzburg in Potter’s first game in charge and return to Champions League action against AC Milan after their trip to Crystal Palace.

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