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Chelsea news: Blues train ahead of Tottenham clash as Sarri makes plans without Higuain
CHELSEA were put through their paces in training on Wednesday as they prepared to face Tottenham in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.
Chelsea were hard at work on the training pitch yesterday as they geared up to face Tottenham at Stamford Bridge tonight.
Maurizio Sarri’s side trail 1-0 following Harry Kane’s penalty at Wembley but will be looking to fight back and book a spot in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.
The Blues will have to do so without new signing Gonzalo Higuain, who has arrived on loan from Juventus.
The Argentine striker has joined Chelsea until the end of the season but will not be able to feature against Spurs, with his deal not being finalised until after Wednesday’s 12pm cut-off.
While Higuain was hammering out the details of his new contract, his new team-mates were braving the elements at the Blues’ Cobham training base.
Eden Hazard was spotted showing off his skills during the session and will be key if Chelsea are to progress past Mauricio Pochettino’s men.
The Belgian could be deployed as a ‘false nine’ and flanked by two of either Willian, Pedro or Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Alternatively, Sarri may opt for Olivier Giroud in attack but Alvaro Morata will not feature with the Spaniard set for a loan move to Atletico Madrid.
N’Golo Kante and Jorginho were both spotted training and expected to feature from the off, although their usual midfield partner Mateo Kovacic could be rotated in favour of Ross Barkley.
Andreas Christensen and Emerson Palmieri will both hope to earn rare starts with David Luiz and Marcos Alonso potentially dropping out.
However, Sarri – who is yet to win a trophy during his managerial career – is likely to pick a strong line-up with Kepa Arrizabalaga preferred to Willy Caballero in goal and Cesar Azpilicueta captaining the side.
Higuain is expected to be present at Stamford Bridge tonight and is in line for a debut appearance when Chelsea face Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup Fourth Round on Sunday.