Chelsea have won three games in a row, one against the co-leaders of the Bundesliga, and the other two against relegation-threatened teams in the Premier League. Next up is another one from the latter category, as struggling Everton come to town in the last game before the first international break of the calendar year.
That timing presents a unique conundrum for players on the verge of returning from injury or illness. Do they push to return now to get some minutes, or do we wait a bit longer and use the next two weeks to keep building up their fitness levels? We’ll have to decide on a case-by-case basis, obviously, but the likes of N’Golo Kanté, Mason Mount, Reece James, Raheem Sterling, Édouard Mendy, César Azpilicueta, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all fall into this category — some closer, some a bit farther away.
Graham Potter might have some specific updates about their statuses in his upcoming pre-match press conference, but we do know that Thiago Silva and Armando Broja remain out for sure.