Chelsea manager Tuchel confirms Mendy availability for Manchester City clash

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has declared Edouard Mendy ready to start in goal in Saturday’s Premier League encounter against Manchester City.

The Senegal goalkeeper missed the Blues’ matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa due to a knock he picked up in the Champions League game against Zenit St Petersburg.

Before the setback, Mendy had started each of Chelsea’s games this season and now he has been passed fit to reclaim his spot.

“Yes, he's available and will start tomorrow,” Tuchel said in his press conference on Friday.

Saturday’s match at Stamford Bridge will be the first time the Blues will face Manchester City since their Champions League final triumph last season.

When quizzed if Chelsea have the psychological edge over Pep Guardiola’s men, the German coach said: “We have the positive experiences. We know how tough it feels at half-time in the dressing room, how much work we put in and how much input was needed.

“When I say it’s 50/50, I mean 50/50. When we look back at situations on how to defend or attack. It still feels dangerous and we hope they will not score again! Luckily it does not happen even though I looked several times. You really have to work for it and earn it.

“Don’t forget, you also need momentum and a bit of luck. Yes, a genuine belief that you can do it is the most important thing in sports. On this kind of level, we have the belief that we can do it. We have the belief and we know well what it takes to have the possibility to win.

“I have the feeling that it does not take a miracle to win against Manchester City but it is absolutely necessary that we bring our best performance. This is tough enough and this is maybe the confidence it gives us. This is one of the biggest tests in European football. It’s on tomorrow, in our stadium and we feel ready.”