Chronicle EditorLONDON. – Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard is confident he has overcome his injury concerns as the Belgian hopes to help his team continue their winning run when they travel to AS Roma in the Champions League tonight. Premier League champions Chelsea ended a poor run of results with a League Cup win over Everton sandwiched between league wins over Watford and Bournemouth.
Hazard, who returned from an ankle injury last month, is hopeful that his team can carry their momentum forward. “Yeah for sure, definitely. I’m training hard, the injury is the past. I’m fully ready for the next game, I just want to play,” Hazard told the club’s website.
“A big week is coming, so it was important also for the confidence to stay high . . . We are full of confidence now, two big games in Champions League and Premier League. And we are ready to play both.” After their Champions League game, Chelsea, who are nine points behind league leaders Manchester City in fourth place, host second-placed Manchester United on Sunday. Chelsea manager Antonio Conte says that he hopes to be able to select midfielder N’Golo Kante tonight.
Kante picked up a hamstring injury on international duty with France earlier this month and has missed Chelsea’s previous five matches, including the 3-3 draw at home to Roma 11 days ago. Chelsea sit top of Group C with seven points and can guarantee a place in the last-16 with a win in the Italian capital, but Conte said he will not risk Kante if the influential Frenchman is not fully fit.
“He (Kante) could be ready,” the Italian told a news conference. “I know very well the importance of this player. I want to be sure he is ready. I hope to have him in this game, but I prefer to not take this type of risk. If he is ready, he plays.”
Fixtures (all 9:45pm)
Atlético Madrid v Qarabag; Sporting CP v Juventus; Celtic v Bayern München; PSG v Anderlecht; Olympiakos Piraeus v Barcelona; Manchester United v Benfica; Roma v Chelsea; Basel v CSKA Moskva. – Reuters.
Online Reporter