Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger was pictured wearing a protective face mask in training this week, ahead of his side’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid.
The centre-back hit the turf in the final minutes of the first leg – which ended as a 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital last Tuesday – suffering a facial injury.
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Rudiger, who provided the assist for Christian Pulisic’s opener before Madrid equalised through Karim Benzema, was left out of the Blues’ squad for their next and most recent game – a 2-0 home win over Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday.
Having received a protective face mask as part of his recovery from the injury, however, Rudiger was able to take part in training.
The Germany international was named in compatriot Thomas Tuchel’s starting XI this evening, as Chelsea bid for a place in the Champions League final, where Manchester City await following their semi-final victory over Paris Saint-Germain.
City defeated PSG 2-1 in the first leg in Paris last week before emerging 2-0 winners in Manchester last night.
