Antonio Conte Confirms N'Golo Kante, Alvaro Morata Will Miss Crystal Palace Game

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has confirmed both N'Golo Kante and Alvaro Morata will miss the team's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace on Saturday. 

Speaking at his press conference on Friday, the Blues boss provided updates on the condition of both players, with Kante seemingly set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines, per the club's official Twitter account:

Morata picked up his knock against Manchester City last time out and had to be substituted, while Kante accrued his issue while away on international duty with France.

One of the players who would have potentially stepped in for Kante is new Chelsea signing Danny Drinkwater, though he has yet to make his first appearance for his new club due to injury.

Conte confirmed he is not far off full fitness but insisted it's important to take time in his recovery:

In addition to Morata, Kante and potentially Drinkwater being missing, Chelsea will also be without David Luiz, who is still serving a ban for the red card he picked up against Arsenal.

Conte was asked whether the Brazilian may be able to step into midfield to help fill the void left by Kante in the weeks to come. It seems he prefers to see Luiz at the back, though:

The Chelsea boss was also quizzed on Charly Musonda after the young forward posted some scathing comments on Instagram during the international break.

Musonda posted a picture of a black screen with an accompanying message on Monday expressing his frustration at not getting regular playing time for the Blues.

"You sacrifice, you work hard, harder, you give more than what's expected, and often more than you can, because you love what you do and clearly more than you should," it read, per Liam Twomey of ESPN FC. "And what do you get back? Literally nothing... done."

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As relayed by Twomey, the Chelsea manager said the player was aware he'd made an error and offered some insight into how he can go about earning a place in the team:

Speculation has also sparked again recently about Conte's own position at the club, with the Sunday Times' Duncan Castles reporting that this term may be the manager's last at Stamford Bridge.

It has also been reported by Corriere dello Sport (h/t Mark Brus of Metro), that AC Milan have made Conte their top priority should they part ways with Vincenzo Montella.

The Chelsea boss insisted he would like to return to Italy in the future, but he is happy with life in England at the moment:

On Saturday the Blues may be depleted, but they will take on a Crystal Palace team that are on the floor of the table as things stand. The Eagles have yet to earn a point or even score a goal in the Premier League this season and will not be relishing the prospect of going up against the champions.

Morata, Kante and Luiz are all huge misses for Chelsea, though this fixture feels like an ideal opportunity for some players on the fringes of the first team to make their case for a starting berth.