"I hope the guys will be ready" - Thomas Tuchel faces an anxious wait after Chelsea hit with double injury blow ahead of Carabao Cup final

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has issued an update on the knocks sustained by Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech ahead of the Carabao Cup final on Sunday. Both players were substituted owing to injury during the Blues' UEFA Champions League Round of 16 fixture against LOSC Lille last night.

Kovacic limped off the field in the 51st minute and was replaced by Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Tuchel revealed after the game that he regretted not taking the Croatian off earlier, saying (as quoted by the Daily Mail):

"I should have substituted Kovacic earlier at half-time, so could have had one more change."

Ziyech, on the other hand, seemed to have sustained an ankle injury and was substituted for Saul Niguez on the hour mark. Tuchel, however, was unsure about the seriousness of the Moroccan's injury and stated:

"I did not see Hakim's injury, I have not spoken to the doctor. I hope it is not too much, but it is a little bit the story of the season (with injuries)."

The duo's injuries come at a bad time for Chelsea, who take on Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, February 27.

The Blues have a number of players sidelined due to injury. Ben Chilwell will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a knee ligament injury that required reconstructive surgery. Meanwhile, Reece James has been sidelined since December last year due to a hamstring tear. However, he is pushing towards a return to action.

Tuchel hopes to have Kovacic and Ziyech fit in time for the game but added that they would have to be patient. The German concluded:

"Today is Tuesday, until Sunday it is good because there are a lot of days for us to recover, so we will take care of that. We don't like to have that many injuries and would like to have more impact from the bench in a tactical matter, but it is what it is. Let's see, I hope the guys will be ready for Sunday."

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Chelsea see off Lille in first leg of Champions League Round of 16 clash

While the injuries will worry Chelsea and their fanbase, the club will be glad that it didn't affect their performance against Lille last night. The Blues kept things tight and picked their moments to score to secure a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie.

Kai Havertz opened the scoring in the eighth minute, heading home from Hakim Ziyech's corner. Christian Pulisic then added a second goal, converting with his right foot after being assisted by N'Golo Kante in the 63rd minute.

Chelsea will travel to France for the second leg of the tie on March 16. They will hope to put in another solid performance and qualify for the quarterfinals.