Press Conference: Lampard reveals Kante and Rudiger return dates, speaks about Pulisic and his battle with Callum Hudson-Odoi

Chelsea’s seven-match winning run came to an end as they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Manchester United. Now, the Blues’ boss Frank Lampard will be hoping his side can continue their excellent away form on Saturday when they take on Watford. Ahead of the game, Lampard faced the press and first answered the question, whether Antonio Rudiger is fit: “No, he’s not fit. There was a miscommunication. He’s seeing a consultant on Monday over an ongoing pelvic issue. We’ll have to wait for the consultant appointment to see how long he’ll be out. Himself and N’Golo carried over injuries from last season and it’s been a domino effect. The players will be frustrated. Disappointing for me because I want to select them but it brings opportunities for other players. N’Golo is close, working with the team now.” Lampard also added that N’Golo Kante is possible to be ready to face Ajax. On other injuries, he said: “Ross Barkley is still not right but not far away. Andreas Christensen is pretty much fit as well. It’s the finishing touches now.” Christian Pulisic is one of the stars of Lampard’s side and he talked about him. “That’s the competition we have. People seemed to think Burnley was his debut. He’s had input before then. It was a short break, a big transfer and a different league. Let’s see him reproduce it,” he said. On Watford, Lampard said: “Without a doubt. On that winning run, every game became more dangerous because of overconfidence. We know Watford’s personnel is similar to last year and we can’t underestimate a team that will be hurting. We’ll be certainly even more focused on what we have to do.” Lampard also spoke about tough choice – Pulisic or Callum Hudson Odoi. “You could say Pedro and Willian as well, who are top-class players in different stages of their career. There’s competition for places. That’s good. It keeps them on edge and means they have to perform to keep their place. I’m not here to rotate for the sake of it,” Lampard concluded. Source- Football.london

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