Chelsea take on Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final tomorrow in a bid to add more silverware to their trophy cabinet.
The Blues go into the high octane clash with significant confidence, winning their last game against Lille 2-0 in the Champions League round of 16 first leg.
One man who was superb against the French club was N'Golo Kante, who has been a consistent figure at Stamford Bridge since arriving from Leicester back in 2016.
Manager Thomas Tuchel has showered the Frenchman with immense praise recently, stating that he is a 'special player'.
The German was speaking about Kante's position within the team, arguing that restricting him primarily into a defensive role prevents the 30-year-old from being able to influence proceedings in advanced areas.
"I mean, why should we hold him back?” Tuchel said after being asked about Kante’s being given the freedom to play further forward.
"He has such a capacity, speed, volume in his game, and work rate.
"For me, [there is] no reason to hold him back and not to make him use the whole pitch.
"He’s a key player for us defensively, but also in the support offensively — that makes him very special."
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Certainly given the fact that it's expected Liverpool will sustain pressure for prolonged periods tomorrow afternoon, Kante's ability to evade pressure and drive the team forward could be crucial to springing counter-attacks and opening up space for supporting teammates nearby.
Whilst Kante's qualities are undeniable, Tuchel also spoke about how the experience both he and club captain Cesar Azpilicueta possess will be vital to tomorrow's result.
It will be interesting to see how the game pans out and on paper it looks set to be a mouth-watering contest.
