The physical state of the squad ahead of our EPL curtain raiser against Southampton this Saturday has been released, and it’s mostly positive.
The same way I like to eat the veg before tucking into the “good bits” of a roast dinner, I’m one to get the bad news out of the way first, then enjoying the good news in later. So with that shocking analogy, I’ll start with the bad news that Oliver Skipp’s seemingly innocuous foot injury is NOT an innocuous foot injury, but rather a nasty cut on the top of his foot that will require stitches. This will leave Skipp ruled out for a couple of weeks, which is a right shame given his injury problems last season.
However, the bad news ends there – although it was reported earlier that Yves Bissouma would DEFINITELY miss Saturday’s match with a hamstring injury he picked up against Roma, the injury is not thought to be as bad as initially feared, putting him in contention for a place in Saturday’s squad.
Moreover, Conte has commented on the struggles of Doherty and Perisic following long-term injuries the pair sustained last season, putting their involvement from the off in doubt. Given the relative lack of pre-season action the pair have had, it’s likely we will see last season’s wing-back pairing of Royal and Sessegnon start, but we’ll see. Of course, Richarlison is suspended following a retrospective ban picked up following flare-throwing antics with Everton.
Fear not, a match preview will follow…