Mauricio Pochettino has urged Chelsea fans not to expect Christopher Nkunku to instantly solve his team’s problems as the France forward prepares for a possible debut in today’s League Cup quarter-final against Newcastle.
The 26-year-old has not yet played competitively for the club after injuring his knee on their pre-season US tour, weeks after joining from RB Leipzig for £52mn ($66mn). Nkunku, last season’s Bundesliga top scorer, was named in Pochettino’s squad for Saturday’s 2-0 win against Sheffield United as the team registered back-to-back Premier League home wins for the first time in more than a year.
He did not feature but is set to make his competitive debut today for Pochettino’s side, who struggled to break down their opponents at the weekend. “I can tell you maybe he can play 20 minutes,” the Chelsea boss said at his pre-match press conference on Monday. “How I saw him before Saturday in my mind I had one percent to two percent of doubt. That’s why I didn’t want to take a risk. I need to be 100 percent, then things can happen.”
Chelsea have scored 28 goals in 17 league games this campaign, but they have come in bursts, with the team, 10th in the Premier League, failing to net at all in the league during September. Pochettino urged supporters to show patience with their new forward, who scored 16 goals for Leipzig last season.
“(Nkunku has trained) only in the last few weeks, after four or five months he was out,” said the Argentine. “The team has evolved and the situation has changed. My worry is to put too much pressure on him, to say ‘now has arrived the guy to make us win every single game, to change everything’. I don’t believe it’s going to be like that. He needs time to recover his fitness. Hopefully he’ll play tomorrow and score three goals, then be consistent. But the most important thing is not to put too much pressure on him.”
Nicolas Jackson is the top-scorer for Chelsea this season, with eight goals in all competitions, while the impressive Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling each have six. Newcastle boss Eddie Howe hopes his team can draw on the disappointment of losing last season’s League Cup final against Manchester United.
“I’m just devastated we didn’t get over the line in the end,” he said. “I think it’s helped us for this year and we know this game’s going to be very difficult but we know the prize if we can get through.”
The Chelsea match at Stamford Bridge will mark Howe’s 100th game in charge of Newcastle since he was appointed in November 2021. “I’ve loved every second of it,” he said. “When you look back at a group of games, so many highlights, memories.”
Key Newcastle injuries
concern Howe before
“dangerous” Chelsea clash
The availability of several key Newcastle United players remains in question as manager Eddie Howe tries to field the best possible side in League Cup quarter-final against Chelsea. Defender Fabian Schar and midfielder Joelinton, injured during Newcastle’s win over Fulham on Sunday, had scans that didn’t seem “too bad” but were not a certainty, Howe told reporters.
“To miss Fabby would be a big blow,” he said, referring to Schar. Forward Alexander Isak also missed Sunday’s match with a groin injury but it was not too serious, Howe added. “We need to treat him carefully to make sure he isn’t out for six or seven weeks. He has a chance for tomorrow but we need to be careful,” the English coach said.
But one major boost for Newcastle was centre-back Sven Botman’s return from a three-month knee injury. “There are certain players who lift the team in particular and Sven is one of those. He gives players confidence around him and makes a big difference,” Howe added.
Newcastle have never won the League Cup, finishing as runners-up in 1976 and last season. However, Howe believed their experience of getting to Wembley in February was helping them in this campaign. “We’ve seen the rewards you can get from it. The build up to the final was a brilliant thing to be part of ... it was incredible to see how many fans we took to London. It’s helped us this year,” he said.
Chelsea have more of a pedigree in the competition, having won the League Cup five times, most recently in 2015. They have struggled this season though their home form has vastly improved since the end of October. However, Howe was confident Newcastle could end their five-match winless streak in away matches in all competitions. “We beat Manchester United away and were seconds away from beating Paris (St Germain). I don’t doubt our character. We’re certainly up for the fight,” he said.