Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino details what he's expecting from Sheffield United

Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that he has been trying so hard to hammer home his message to Chelsea players ahead of this weekend's visit of Sheffield United, that he's losing his voice.

A croaky Pochettino spoke to the media on Friday afternoon in preparation for the Blues match against the Blades, with some pressure on his shoulders due to his reign at Stamford Bridge struggling to really get going, despite a big-spending summer.

Injuries have taken their toll, as they have for many clubs this season, including of course United, but the Argentine remains confident that the tide will turn and a run of positive results is just around the corner.

However, he knows the difficulty that lies in wait for his team, with United expected to keep theings tight and look to hit Chelsea on the break, as they did against Liverpool and Brentford in the first two matches since Chris Wilder returned to the club.

It's been an issue that Chelsea have found problems coming to terms with this season, with their lack of firepower leading making it harder for them to deal with hard-working defences and leaving them wide open on the counter attack.

"It is always difficult, Premier League games are always hard," he said of taking on the Blades. "I know very well Sheffield United and Chris and of course it is going to be tough.

"They are going to try to be aggressive with a low block and for us it is always difficult to play against a team with a low block. The most important thing in what we are working on is our mentality and the way we want to play, find different solutions and be more solid and consistent.

"Now, tomorrow the most important aspect is the way we are going to approach the game. The signal is my voice is gone becasue we are shouting a lot. From our side we are motivated to work very hard to find a way to start to perform and win games."

Chelsea should welcome Christopher Nkunku into the squad for the first time since icking up an injury in pre-season. The £52m summer signing from RB Leipzig has yet to play a competitive match for the Blues.

"Yes, can be involved. That is very good news," added the Blues head coach. "To be involved tomorrow and be in the squad and to start to feel the competition and the teammate after the pre-season is good news for us. We need to be calm and quiet because it is going to put all the pressure on him. Now he needs to evolve, know the Premier League. It's a big motivation for us, for the teammates, and the fans to see a player that should be important for us and to be in the squad for the first time."