Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is hopeful Edouard Mendy will be fit for next Saturday’s Champions League final against Manchester City.

Mendy prompted injury fears just six days before the final when he was forced off in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa after colliding with the post just before half-time.

Kepa Arrizabalaga was brought on for the second-half, with Chelsea securing a top four finish despite the loss at Villa Park – thanks to London rivals Tottenham’s 4-2 win over Leicester City.

Tuchel admitted after the match Mendy was experiencing ‘big pain in his ribs’ and would have to wait until Monday to discover the full extend of the problem.

And in his press conference on Monday afternoon, the former PSG gaffer revealed Mendy has made a ‘huge improvement’ in the race to be fit for the mega European showdown this weekend.

“Edou, the update is we still have hope. He has a chance of training on Wednesday.

“He has made huge improvement in the management of pain. We’ll have a further update on Wednesday but we hope to have him back in training.

“Edou will play if he is fit. We will try on Wednesday, if not then we will try on Thursday, if not then we will try on Friday. If he cannot make it then we have a strong guy on the bench with Kepa.

“The images don’t show that the injury is too serious. Every hour and day counts.”

source:- completesports