Christopher Nkunku could finally make his competitive Chelsea debut when the Blues play Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup quarter-final on Tuesday night.
The French playmaker, who joined from RB Leipzig in the summer, has yet to feature for his new club.
An injury suffered during pre-season has kept the 26-year-old sidelined since just before the start of the season.
However, according to Mauricio Pochettino, the former PSG academy graduate is in line to feature against Eddie Howe’s high-flying Magpies.
“He can maybe play 20 minutes tomorrow,” the Chelsea boss told reporters, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.
“The priority is to feel 100 per cent. My worry is to put too much pressure on him now that he’s arrived and to make us win every single game. It’s not going to be like this. He needs time.”
Set to face off at Stamford Bridge tomorrow night, Chelsea will be desperate to book their place in the competition’s semi-finals.
Getting the better of Newcastle won’t be easy though. The northeast giants came agonisingly close to lifting the trophy last season before narrowly missing out to Manchester United in the final.
And likely to be right up for tomorrow night’s game, Nkunku’s possible return will serve as a huge boost as the Blues look to finally have something to cheer about this season.