Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel offered some encouraging news on injuries to midfielder N'Golo Kante and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy as the build-up to the Champions League final began on Monday.
Kante missed Chelsea's final game of the season against Aston Villa on Sunday after being taken off in the previous game against Leicester City with a hamstring niggle.
Mendy, who has established himself as Chelsea's first-choice keeper, collided with a post and hurt his ribs against Villa and failed to come out for the second half. Both will be key cogs in Tuchel's plans if underdog Chelsea is to beat Manchester City in Porto on Saturday.
"With N'Golo, I think I'll just put him on the training pitch on Wednesday, don't ask any more if there's any problems," Tuchel joked at his news conference on Monday.
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"Maybe I'll not speak to the doctors and physios any more so I hear no more doubts and no more complaints! But it looks good and I hope it stays like that."
On Mendy, the German added: "He's made huge improvement in the management of pain. Further updates on Wednesday but we hope to have him back in training.
"He will play if he is fit. We'll try on Wednesday, if not then we will try on Thursday, if not then we'll try on Friday. If he cannot make it then we've a strong guy on the bench with Kepa Arrizabalaga. The images don't show that the injury is too serious."
Tuchel has masterminded two wins for Chelsea over City this season -- in the FA Cup and Premier League. "We have closed the gap to Man City for two games in a very short period of time," Tuchel said.
"But I think (the wins over City) helped us a lot to bond, to grow, and arrive with a lot of self-confidence. Man City is the benchmark, they are the champions here. We are the guys who want to hunt them, to challenge them and this is what we're going to do."
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