Newcastle v Chelsea: Tuchel plays down injury concerns

James guides Blues through

Chelsea defender Reece James scored the decisive spot-kick after Saints duo Theo Walcott and Will Smallbone failed to hit the target at Stamford Bridge.

Tuchel made six changes from Saturday's 7-0 success over Norwich City, but his plans were altered due to late injury withdrawals.

Trio in line for weekend return

Ahead of Saturday's trip to face Newcastle United at St James' Park, Tuchel says the trio could all return as the Blues look to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table.

He told the club's official website: "We hope Azpi is back for the weekend. He had a shoulder injury yesterday in training when he fell on it. It's very painful, but he's Azpi, and he's a tough guy.

"Ruben felt after training some pain in his hip joint. Hopefully, we can handle it for Saturday.

"Andreas needed to recover from tooth surgery, and he should be back in training on Thursday if there are no complications."

Chelsea have now won five games on the spin in all competitions, and they have won two matches in a row without injured strike-duo Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku.