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Monday 30 October 2017

Roma vs Chelsea team news

 The Blues have an outside chance of qualifying for the Champions League knockout stage when they make the trip to the Italian capital on Tuesday



visit Roma on Tuesday night as the Champions League group stage enters its second half.

These two clubs played out an entertaining 3-3 draw at Stamford Bridge in the last round of fixtures and currently occupy the top two spots in Group C.

In the unlikely scenario that win and Atletico Madrid fail to beat Qarabag, in fact, the Blues can qualify for the knockout stage this week.

N'Golo Kante joined his Chelsea teammates in training on Monday as the Blues underwent their final preparations ahead of their Champions League tie against Roma.

Kante has been missing from action since sustaining a hamstring injury while with France on international duty in early October, although Chelsea boss Antonio Conte admitted on Friday that the midfielder could return in time to feature against Roma.

And Kante certainly looked to be in no obvious discomfort as he trained normally alongside his Chelsea teammates at Cobham on Monday morning.

After warming up, the 26-year-old took part in a 'piggy-in-the-middle' training exercise where he tried to intercept the ball from his teammates before the squad went on to play a match.

Kante's involvement in the session will be a huge boost to Conte, with his Chelsea side having conceded eight goals in five games in all competitions in his absence.

​The team, meanwhile, looked to be in good spirits on a chilly morning at Cobham, with several players donning hats and snoods to keep warm in the colder temperatures.



The team will fly to Rome on Monday afternoon before Conte speaks to the media to preview Chelsea's Champions League Group C clash at the Stadio Olimpico.

SQUADS & TEAM NEWS

Roma news
Roma defender Kostas Manolas is a major doubt due to a thigh strain.

Bruno Peres and Rick Karsdorp are definitely out and Roma may also be without Gregoire Defrel, who came off in the win over Bologna at the weekend.

Potential starting XI: Alisson; Florenzi, Fazio, Jesus, Kolarov; Nainggolan, Gonalons, Strootman; Perotti, Dzeko, El Shaarawy.

Chelsea news
N'Golo Kante trained lightly on Monday before the squad flew out to Italy and could be involved after a hamstring injury.
If the Frenchman is ready to make his comeback, Victor Moses is the only player the Blues will be missing for this match.

Potential starting XI: Courtois; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Rudiger; Zappacosta, Drinkwater, Fabregas, Bakayoko, Alonso; Hazard, Morata.

Game Preview
After a run of three matches without a win, have got back on track with three victories in a row.

Back-to-back Premier League titles is already looking like a big ask for the Blues, though, with Manchester City nine points clear of them at the top of the table.

It is harder to see Antonio Conte's men stretching their current run into one of the like they went on last season, which propelled them into a position they never looked back from.

So while there is still plenty of football to be played in the English top flight, the Champions League will certainly get its fair share of attention this season.

's away win at Atletico Madrid proved they have what it takes to get results against some of the biggest clubs on the continent and contend for Europe's top honour.

This competition remains the biggest prize in Roman Abramovich's eyes and perhaps also Conte's.

The Italian was accused of coming up short in the Champions League when in charge of Juventus and the task of proving his remaining doubters wrong will surely still fuel him.

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