As always, the first question in Antonio Conte’s prematch press conference was about injury news. And this time he wasn’t messing around. When asked whether Tiemoue Bakayoko, David Luiz or Ross Barkley were fit, the Italian coach responded simply “no, they are out.”
He hasn’t left any room for doubt, and this news also clears up some of the questions about potential team selection for Sunday.
Conte says Bakayoko, Luiz & Barkley are still out but he has no new injury worries ahead of United clash #cfc
— Liam Twomey (@liam_twomey) February 23, 2018
With Barkley and Bakayoko out and N’Golo Kante’s place in midfield a given, that leaves a choice between Fabregas and Drinkwater, or perhaps both if Conte decides to play three in midfield.
At the back, Luiz wouldn’t have been expected to play anyway, and the chances are we’ll see Andreas Christensen starting again with the chance to atone for his error in midweek against Barcelona.
The good news is that there are no further injuries, and given that Ross Barkley has trained with the first team this week, he’s likely to be back in action very soon.
