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Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has admitted that 'it is not simple' for his side to play without N'Golo Kante, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since early October.
The 2016/17 PFA Player of the Year sustained the problem on international duty with France and this has seen him miss four games for the Blues across all competitions.
Speaking ahead of the Bournemouth game, Conte admitted that Kante's absence is a big loss to the club, although he is hopeful that he will return for the midweek Champions League outing versus AS Roma.
"For sure, it is not simple to play without N'Golo because he is an important player for us," he is quoted as saying by ESPN. "Now I think that the team is used to playing without him, but I hope to see him back very soon with us."
Conte added that both Danny Drinkwater and Kante could be in Premier League contention next month, although Victor Moses is likely to be out longer with a muscular problem.
Chelsea will look to maintain the pressure on table-toppers Manchester City when they take on Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Premier League champions are already playing catchup to the Citizens, who are nine points ahead, and Conte will be expecting a strong performance at Dean Court.
Written by Sri Aswin
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