Christian Pulisic ruled out of Chelsea's trip to Arsenal with positive Covid test but N'Golo Kante and Hakim Ziyech could return; Thomas Tuchel expecting Gunners to play up to "underdog" tag in Premier League clash; watch Arsenal vs Chelsea on Sunday, live on Sky Sports from 4pm
Friday 20 August 2021 14:45, UK
Chelsea will have to face Arsenal in Sunday's London derby - live on Sky Sports - without Christian Pulisic after Thomas Tuchel revealed he had tested positive for Covid.
The news comes as a blow to the American winger, who has struggled with injuries during his time at Stamford Bridge but scored in Chelsea's opening day win over Crystal Palace last week.
Tuchel was handed better news regarding Hakim Ziyech and N'Golo Kante, though, with both players returning to training ahead of the trip to the Emirates Stadium after missing the Palace game.
Discussing his squad to face Arsenal, Tuchel said: "Christian is unfortunately pretty easy to explain. He had a positive test and needs to follow the protocol, so he was not in training and is not available for the game.
"Hakim and N'Golo were both in training today and had absolutely no problems. We need to have another more physical training session tomorrow with them but right now it seems very positive that both can be in the squad for Sunday."
Tuchel is also set to have record signing Romelu Lukaku available for Sunday's fixture, with the head coach saying: "We are hoping he is on the pitch for Sunday and things look like it."
Chelsea will travel to Arsenal as favourites following the Gunners' 2-0 defeat at newly-promoted Brentford in their first Premier League game of the season, and Tuchel is expecting Mikel Arteta's side to play up to their "underdogs" tag.
Arsenal have also been hit by a Covid outbreak that has impacted several players, including captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Tuchel said: "I don't know what [their] team will be - it's a difficult one to predict.
"They can play maybe the underdog role here because of the complications they have with the Covid situation, the difficulties they had in the first match.
"I think they will try to put themselves into the underdog role and fight from there, which is fair enough.
"It's on us to be absolutely focused and well aware of everything that they will ask us. They can hurt anybody if you're not concentrated."
Chelsea already have one victory at the Emirates this season, having beaten Arsenal 2-1 in a pre-season friendly earlier this month, and Tuchel admitted that game whetted his appetite for Sunday's encounter, which is set to take place in front of a full house.
"We had a pre-season match with not all the fans but we could see the atmosphere and the energy that this derby and this stadium can produce," the Chelsea boss said.
"I think it's always a tough one, a tight one. They had a bit of a rough start and I think from their perspective it can be a help that a big rival from within the city arrives now. It can create a situation where they stick together and they try to win their crowd over with a strong performance.
"So we should be absolutely prepared for the best Arsenal possible. They have qualities - strong coach, strong team, strong signings.
"At the same time, do what we need to do. Push the standards to the limit, let's see where out limit is, look for an intense game, rhythm and a confident game on and off the ball."
Tuchel also revealed that Trevoh Chalobah will remain as part of the Chelsea first-team squad this season.
The 22-year-old has spent the last three seasons out on loan - including a spell with French club Lorient in the last campaign - but impressed in Chelsea's win over Palace, as well as their Super Cup victory over Villarreal.
Tuchel said: "He did a fantastic pre-season and he's a very good player. Even more important, he's a top character. He has both feet on the ground and took his chance very impressively.
"He played very good matches in pre-season, he performed 120 minutes against Villarreal and another strong 90 minutes against Crystal Palace.
"I think it's very logical that he stays with us and is looking for his chance here. We let go some players and Trevoh is the guy that we absolutely want to keep.
"We had a talk yesterday (Thursday) and I think the situation is that he went out for loans, he had the minutes he needed to develop and now is a good moment to stay with us and to be part of the group and to take further steps to fulfil his dream, which is to be a part of a strong Chelsea squad.
"We trust him and he deserves this - this is not a gift."
Romelu Lukaku has a serene-like quality as he sits down for an exclusive chat with Sky Sports. He looks healthy, calm and composed as he gives Geoff Shreeves an in-depth insight into his history at Chelsea, why Italy was the right move and how now is the right time to play for his boyhood club...
It's not a secret that Lukaku was a childhood fan of Chelsea, looking up to iconic players such as Didier Drogba, who he maintains contact with to this day.
"We spoke a few days ago and we spoke about that time [when Lukaku was previously at Chelsea] and about the progress that I've made and what I have to keep improving - keeping the same hunger all the time," Lukaku revealed.
"The thing about Didier is that he's a very detailed individual. Thierry Henry is also very detailed and it's the details that make the difference. We talk about individual exercises that I like, what's the goal of each exercise and we talk about those things, but also about trying to win because that's the thing that matters.
"He's a winner in every sense of the word and that's the thing I want to achieve for this football club."
You can follow all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms, as well as keeping track of all the developments on Sky Sports News.
