Chelsea injury news: Update on Aubameyang, Edouard Mendy and N'Golo Kante ahead of UEFA Champions League clash against Salzburg
Graham Potter will take charge of his first game as Chelsea manager against Red Bull Salzburg in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday (September 14).
The Blues are languishing at the bottom of Group E after losing 1-0 at Dinamo Zagreb last week. Co-owner Todd Boehly sacked Thomas Tuchel after the defeat and appointed Potter as the Blues' new manager.
In the other Group E game last week, Red Bull Salzburg and AC Milan played out a 1-1 draw.
On home soil in the #UCL midweek! https://t.co/QGDEaLsbF6
Ahead of the Salzburg game at Stamford Bridge, here are some injury updates on some of Chelsea's key players (via Football.London).
Edouard Mendy
The Senegalese goalkeeper suffered an injury in the Blues' 2-1 win over West Ham United in the Premier League on September 3. Kepa Arrizabalaga was at goal against Dinamo Zagreb.
Ahead of the clash against the Croatian side, Tuchel had said about Mendy's injury:
"He was in a lot of pain, and we have to see. It's too early to comment on that. I think at the moment he is a bit unlucky in what he is doing. In training, he is fantastic, and he is, in general, a very calm and self-reflective guy who is aware that he lacks a little bit of luck at the moment."
It's unclear when Mendy will return to action.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Aubameyang is likely to feature against Red Bull Salzburg, like he did against Dinamo Zagreb as well. The Gabonese striker suffered a jaw injury during a robbery at his house in Barcelona last month.
He moved to Chelsea from Barcelona earlier this summer and made his Blues debut against Dinamo, playing 59 minutes with a mask.
N'Golo Kante
Kante suffered a hamstring injury during the Blues' 2-2 draw against domestic rivals Tottenham Hotspur in Gameweek 2 of the Premier League.
Before their win over West Ham, Tuchel had suggested that the Frenchman might be out for a few weeks, saying:
"With N'Golo, we are talking about weeks. We are talking about four weeks plus."
So, the Frenchman is unlikely to feature against Salzburg.
Chelsea's game against Liverpool postponed
The Blues were set to take on Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday (September 18).
However, the game has been postponed due to the requirement of police force ahead of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral.
Sunday's fixture between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge has been postponed, the Premier League have confirmed. ⤵️
Chelsea-Liverpool is one of three postponed gameweek 8 games. Manchester United-Leeds United and Brighton & Hove Albion-Crystal Palace are the two other games.
With the international break starting next week, Chelsea will return to Premier League action on October 1 against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.