Manager confirms Bassong only injury doubt for Blues clash

CHRIS Hughton spoke of an almost clean bill of health for his squad ahead of Sunday’s clash against Chelsea… with Sebastien Bassong remaining the only injury doubt.

Both Nathan Redmond and Javier Garrido missed last week’s win at Stoke City, but the Canaries’ manager confirmed both will be available for selection, with Elliott Bennett the only long-term absentee.

“They’ve come through fitness tests in the last two days and they’re available, which is good news. Ricky (van Wolfswinkel) had to miss training earlier in the week, but he trained today and will be fine.

“Seb also trained today so we’ll assess him again tomorrow, but at the moment we’re hoping he’s going to come through.”

Hughton spoke of a positive dressing room atmosphere after two away victories on the spin, especially given the nature of the victory at the Britannia Stadium a week ago.

“We started very well in the Stoke game and that gave us really good momentum. There’s a nice confident feel at the moment,” he added.

“I wanted to get more possession in the game. We knew they were in good form and we knew that they were playing a bit more expansive. We knew if we pushed higher up the pitch and got more possession, we might have a chance and the momentum we gained allowed us to get the points.”

Midfielder Alex Tettey was a key performer in the victory, and Hughton recognises the slight alteration to the system allowed his central midfield to thrive.

“Alex is absolutely key because it gives Jonny (Howson) and Leroy (Fer) more of a licence, perhaps Jonny even a little bit more,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“Jonny’s has a great energy driving forward and that gave him more license off the shape knowing that Alex was doing what he does best.

“It worked and it’s always a little bit easier to talk about it when it works, and last week it did.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of our team playing against Chelsea, with the array of talent and options that they have. These are the games that you have to look forward to in the Premier League.”