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Thomas Tuchel has confirmed Chelsea have two doubts in midfield that may force him to go against what would have been his plan with another player.

Chelsea are preparing to face Wolves on Sunday. They will be aiming to bounce back from the disappointment of drawing 1-1 with Everton on Thursday. They would have been hoping for three points but conceded in the 74th minute.

Instead, they remain stuck in a patch of inconsistent – if not exactly poor – form. As they seek to get out of it and back to the dominance they were showing earlier in the season, the absences of some key figures in midfield would not be welcome news for Tuchel.

The German tactician, though, has mixed news about who he can select in that territory.

He said at a press conference: “Jorginho is a doubt for Sunday as he is in pain. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is a doubt because he is in pain.

“Mateo Kovacic is back in his first training session today.”

One man who may have to up his workload in the meantime is N’Golo Kante. One month will have passed since the Frenchman’s last league start by the time the Wolves game comes around.

Kante was last in action in the Champions League win over Juventus on November 23rd. But he went off in the first half.

Tuchel has already spoken regularly this season about how Chelsea must manage him now he is 30 years old and picking up injuries.

But asked if Kante is ready to start, Tuchel hinted that he may have to adjust his plans.

He replied: “We need to find a balance now as we have put everything on Jorginho’s shoulders. Ruben got injured yesterday, maybe we are forced to do the crazy stuff that we might not do.”

Elsewhere, Tuchel confirmed there were no more positive cases of Covid-19 in the squad and Kai Havertz is back in training after a negative test.

Even so, the manager is wary that “the lottery starts again tomorrow” when it comes to testing.

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Tuchel previews Wolves clash

Chelsea played Wolves in Tuchel’s first match in charge after he was appointed in January. Since then, they have become Champions League winners and are hoping for a Premier League title challenge this year.

Their progress under the tactician has been clear. He is pleased with what they have accomplished, but is only focusing on the present. Right now, that means preparing for a complicated match against Wolves.

Tuchel said: “Lot of things have happened since then. Of course we had a big achievement in terms of a trophy but it is always living the moment, pushing the moment.

“To feel valued and that we are part of this club, it is what makes me happy. It is nice we have some victories under our belt and even a big title but it is not the moment to reflect.

“We are in the middle of brushing the Everton result off our shoulders. It is a tough one, hard to create chances against them, break their defensive line and we have to be careful of their speed and individual quality.

“They had a rough start and then recovered. They are very disciplined, a clear structure and very hard to break down. Very hard to create chances so a big task for us and we will focus on it from tomorrow. We need to be well prepared.

“They had very good performances, lost to a late goal against Liverpool and had a deserved win at Brighton.”

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This will be Chelsea’s last league game before Christmas, after which the schedule will get even busier. It will be a new experience for the German, but he is ready for it.

He said: “For me it is the first time. Normally I had a short break and holiday but then I switched on the TV and was happy to see football.

“It is very unique. It is very tiring, it makes you fatigued and it’s not always the most pleasant thing but at the same time, it is.”

READ MORE: Chelsea attacker ‘unsatisfied’ with Tuchel decision, as exit links refuse to go away

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