Tuchel sets Mateo Kovacic injury timeframe and provides Ben Chilwell update ahead of Arsenal

Mateo Kovacic picked up an injury during Chelsea’s FA Cup clash, and Chelsea have a number of other injury concerns too

Thomas Tuchel has revealed that Mateo Kovacic will miss Chelsea’s match against Arsenal after picking up an injury in the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace. The Croatian midfielder was substituted in the first half of the clash, and Chelsea went on to win 2-0 thanks to goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount.

Kovacic left Wembley with some heavy strapping on his ankle but without the use of crutches. However, the German coach revealed in his press conference on Tuesday that the Chelsea ace has suffered ligament damage.

Tuchel further noted that Chelsea would still be without long term injured stars Ben Chilwell and Callum Hudson-Odoi, with the former still rehabilitating from his knee injury while the latter manages his Achilles issue. The 48-year-old coach hinted that the Blues also had some other concerns.

He said: “Kova is out for the game. It is a ligament injury. Hopefully not longer than two weeks. Two weeks can be a long time for us in terms of games. This is the kind of timeframe. Callum Hudson-Odoi is out for the game, Ben Chilwell is out for the game. Ben Chilwell is out for the game, and some players are in doubt, which we need to be examining, but hopefully, the rest are okay. “

Tuchel further confirmed that Chilwell would not be rushed back into Premier League football this term, but he is hopeful that he could make it back into first-team training by the end of the season. Hudson-Odoi’s return is also uncertain, with the winger’s progress still being closely monitored.

He added: “On the pitch in a Premier League match, I don’t think we will rush this in the end of the season. Ben will now be in the transition to join academy training with the youth to have team training but not with the physicality level with us. This will be his next steps. Hopefully, he can join our training at the end of the season. This is the plan for him. For Callum, it is day by day, and still, it is not possible for him to join team training.”