Days off, Lavia & Mudryk’s fitness: Every word Mauricio Pochettino said ahead of Luton Town vs Chelsea

Mauricio Pochettino previewed Chelsea’s Premier League clash against Luton Town.

Chelsea head to Kenilworth Road to close out their 2023 and will be hoping to cement a spot in the top half of the Premier League as they head into 2024.

Luton have won their last two league matches, while Pochettino’s side bounced back from their Christmas Eve loss at Wolves to snatch a late winner from the penalty spot to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 on Wednesday night.

Pochettino spoke to the media ahead of the league clash in Luton. Here’s what the Chelsea head coach told reporters.

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What to expect from Luton Town

“The game against Crystal Palace is a good example that we need to go there to Luton and think that it’s going to be really tough. The stadium, the fans, it’s a team that loves to fight and work really, really hard.

“It’s so difficult if you watch the last few games. It was always tough for all the opponents. If we want to get a good result we need to be ready to play football, it’s going to be a really tough game. We need to match the desire, the capacity to fight for every single ball. It’s going to be a good test for us.”

Chelsea targets

“That is our objective: being consistent and after six games here (unbeaten) at home were good because of this run. To finish the year with a good result would be really nice. Then, during the season we struggled a little bit with teams like Luton, that is a challenge for me. I’m happy to go there because it’s going to be good for our young team, a good experience.

“If we want to win, we need to fight, we need to give our best and, of course, to play football in the way we know to play.”

Visiting Kenilworth Road

“Because I am an old man, I am romantic. I love the football in this type of stadium, it makes you remember when I started to play, the old Wembley. You love to be there because of its history, it’s completely different.”

Days off after Luton match

“Yes, yes, of course. That is the plan. The plan is to win and then give one or two days off depending on the circumstances.“

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“We need to assess Mudryk.”

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“Lavia felt something and we need to check and hope it’s not too bad.

“We are a little bit worried because if you watch the game (against Crystal Palace) I had to change his position with (Conor) Gallagher at the end because he was struggling to run.

“We will see what is going on. We hope it’s not a big issue and he can be with us again. He’s an important player that we recovered, and it’s going to be a shame if we cannot use him in the next few games.”

Thiago Silva bringing experience and maturity to team

“Thiago is an experienced player. It’s not only important on the pitch but outside of the pitch.

“We see him giving advice to the players. It’s so important to have a player like him.”