Chelsea boss Graham Potter has allayed fears about Denis Zakaria’s injury following his brilliant Champions League debut against Dinamo Zagreb.
Two months after signing with the team on the summer transfer deadline, the Juventus loanee made his Blues debut on Wednesday night during the Group E dead-rubber match at Stamford Bridge.
Raheem Sterling had already cancelled out Bruno Petkovic’s surprising opener in west London when the player scored the game’s winning goal.
What Graham Potter Said
Chelsea’s comeback victory was overshadowed by Ben Chilwell’s injury, which could jeopardize England’s World Cup aspirations after he walked off with an apparent hamstring problem deep into second-half stoppage time.
“Not great,” Potter said of Chilwell’s injury after the game.
“Obviously, when he pulls up like that it’s a concern. Obviously, we need to scan it but it’s not positive at the moment.
World Cup worries…
Ben Chilwell limped off in Chelsea’s win over Dinamo Zagreb 👎 pic.twitter.com/oEwGdU6yXy
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“It’s a blow for us on an otherwise positive evening. To see him pull up like that, it’s not a great sight.
“So fingers crossed when we get it scanned it isn’t too bad. It can be not as severe but we have to cross our fingers at the moment. But clearly, we’re disappointed.
“I spoke to him briefly. He just felt something as he was setting off. He is disappointed and upset.”
While Chelsea face an anxious wait over Chilwell, there was at least good news on Zakaria.
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The Swiss international was also replaced by Ruben Loftus-Cheek with under 20 minutes remaining against Zagreb after appearing to suffer a knock of his own.
However, Potter claimed afterwards that it was merely a contact issue and that he had suffered no lasting damage as questions turn towards whether he should be involved in Sunday’s high-profile Premier League London derby against leaders Arsenal at the Bridge.
“He just got a kick. Just the contact. He was fine. No problems with him,” Potter said.
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