Chelsea seemed to be nearing the end of their early season injury crisis, but the international break may have rendered such idea as wishful thinking.
After an underwhelming start to the campaign, things seemed to finally click for Chelsea in the last week of Premier League football, as the club picked up two wins in five days, scoring six goals in the process.
Now they welcome London rivals Arsenal to Stamford Bridge, but will captain Reece James be back to lead his team out?
Chelsea injury news ahead of Arsenal game:
Reece James
Injury issues have disrupted the start of Reece James’ tenure as Chelsea captain, but the right-back appears ready to return to the squad.
After missing out on his side’s triumph over Burnley through suspension, James was supposedly out of the Arsenal contest with a fitness setback, but has returned to training this week.
Speaking on the issue in his pre-match press conference, Mauricio Pochettino said that ‘Reece was training good the last few days’ and that it was time to ‘talk with all the medical staff to decide.’
Armando Broja
Armando Broja made his long awaited return to football before the international break, after nearly a year, and marked the occasion with a goal against London rivals Fulham.
But fresh injury concerns have surfaced, as the striker was sent home from national team duty with Albania.
In his pre-match press conference, Pochettino stated that Borja was ‘out’ for the Arsenal match, as the club will be careful not to aggravate the previous issue.
Carney Chukwuemeka and Trevor Chalobah
Both Carney Chukwuemeka and Trevor Chalobah have suffered setbacks in their respective injury recovery.
The club have stated that the duo will now go under ‘further review before continuing their rehabilitation at Cobham with the club’s medical staff.’
The following injury update has been provided on Trevoh Chalobah and Carney Chukwuemeka. ⤵️
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 18, 2023
Romeo Lavia
Much hype surrounded Romeo Lavia, as Liverpool and Chelsea tussled for the Belgian’s signature this summer, but the £58 million man is yet to feature for the Blues.
Naturally, the club are precautious and don’t want to further aggravate the midfielder’s ankle issue, and a debut could be as for away as December.
Axel Disasi
After withdrawing from the French national team squad, Disasi is extremely unlikely to feature against the Gunners.
A goal on debut for Axel Disasi 🥶#CHELIV pic.twitter.com/qSEsZkcKKE
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 13, 2023
The French Football Federation described the injury as ‘a tear in the quadriceps of the left thigh’, with the defender sighting November as a potential return date.
Benoit Badiashile
It has been a frustrating start to the season for Badiashile, with the French international yet to play a minute of competitive football.
After suffering a hamstring problem in pre-season, the French international is back in training and will be targeting a return soon.
Pochettino even went as far as suggesting the defender could ‘be available to be on the bench’ tomorrow.
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Ben Chilwell
A recurring calf issue has plagued Ben Chilwell for the past year, and will keep him out for a further period.
After sustaining his latest blow in Chelsea’s Carabao Cup win over Brighton, the England left-back will be restricted to the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
Christoper Nkunku and Wesley Fofana
Both Christopher Nkunku and Wesley Fofana continue their recovery following brutal pre-season setbacks.
The former looks to return in early 2024, whilst the latter faces a battle to get back on the pitch this term.
