Maurizio Sarri on Links With Juventus, N'Golo Kante's Fitness & Eden Hazard's Work Ethic

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has revealed N'Golo Kante's chances of featuring in Wednesday's Europa League final with Arsenal are "50/50", amid concerns over a knee injury.

The French World Cup winner suffered the problem in training over the weekend, and underwent a fitness test in training after Sarri's pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

Kante has made 52 appearances in all competitions for the Blues this season - nine in the Europa League itself - and has proven himself as a key member of Sarri's team despite a slight alteration in his position since the Italian took charge last summer. 

It was just one of an array of topics the Italian - who has been linked with a move to Juventus this week following this game - covered in his own typical style in Baku. Here's the best of it...

Maurizio Sarri on N'Golo Kante's Fitness

"A very little problem with his knee, but the problem is the timing," Sarri said. "We are trying. It's not really a very serious injury, but at the moment we don't know. We will try until the last moment, we will try tomorrow, but we don't know.

"He's 50/50 at the moment. Yesterday he was 60/40, today, 50/50. He was a little better this morning. 

"We are in trouble with the midfield. We only have three midfielders for three positions at the moment. He's the only defensive midfielder we have, so for us Kante is very, very important. I hope to recover him, because I know it'll be a problem without him."

Maurizio Sarri on...Maurizio Sarri's Future & Links With Juventus

"I want to think only about the final. I have a contract with Chelsea for two (more) years, so first of all I will speak with Chelsea. But this is not the moment.

"Today I need to only speak about the final, and my players need this too."

Maurizio Sarri on Working With Eden Hazard

Nothing on his future today - there'll be plenty of that to come tomorrow, but...: "It's a pleasure during the match. Sometimes during the week it's a problem!

Alex Grimm/GettyImages

"You know very well at the moment that he is one of the most important players in Europe, in the world. I think he can improve. He has to try to become the best in Europe. With his characteristics, he can become the best player in Europe and in the world I think.

"It's a problem because he's a talent and during training sometimes, he's bored. For him, everything for him is really very easy."

Maurizio Sarri on 'Loving' His Chelsea Players...

"For me, the beginning of the season was really difficult to understand my players and their mentality. But after a very difficult month in January, in February they started to change. Probably, I changed it, I don't know.

"In this moment, I love them. I have 20-22 wonderful men, wonderful players. Now I am really happy with them. I have to consider it for the future and consider that I love the Premier League."

Sarri's players even said they loved him back. Bless.