Blog announcement

We’re now around 5 hours from kick off and we still do know, for sure, who the latest members of the squad are who have tested positive for Covid-19, in addition to members of staff and already-confirmed players Kyle Walker & Gabriel Jesus from earlier testing. Therefore, I’ve decided that there’s no point in producing a pre-match blog-posting seeing as it’s largely based on previewing the game / predicting the starting 11 & subs.

However, I’m mostly available all day whilst looking forward to the 4:30pm KO (GMT) and should we become aware of the players concerned and there’s enough time, I’ll try to get a posting out before 3:30pm; the time where the match-day squad will be revealed anyway.

This is what I do know up to now:

-       Going off the initial assessment, Eric Garcia should be around about recovered enough to be considered fit & available. However, that will be more likely in time for the League Cup semi-final against Manyoo on Wednesday night.

-       Kyle Walker & Gabriel Jesus are in the last day of their isolation and, so, we travel to Stamford Bridge without the right-wing back & striker.

-       Ederson, it would seem, is the only player of the 'recent three' not to be bothered about privacy when it comes to being named as one of the recent positive Covid cases; posting, as he did, the news on his personal social media site almost straight away. Should that be the case, then Zack Steffen will be the one to step up while Scott Carson is hightly likely going to get a place on the bench.

-       Tommy Doyle, apparently, did likewise before quickly pulling it back down again. If the young English midfielder has indeed tested positive then I for one wish him well, of course, but that would be far-less-a-blow for us seeing as he doesn’t even make ‘the 9’ on the side for Premier League games these days.

-       Ilkay Gundogan, who took a knock in his last game, should be okay for selection and there are no reports of any other injuries…we’re just awaiting confirmation of ‘the three’.

-       However, there is an additional consideration. Whilst all this seriousness is going on, Benjamin Mendy allegedly decided it was a good idea to host, or simply attend, a New Year’s Eve party. The club are apparently investigating this internally so we await the outcome. However again, if they’ve already completed their investigations behind closed doors and it’s deemed that the French left-wing back has broken rule by either arranging / hosting or attending any such party, then a decision presumably has to be made whether to include him in this evening’s match. Another potential loss of personnel. Huh…no comment.