Reece James has been a doubt in the build-up to Chelsea’s match against Arsenal, after suffering a setback in his return from a hamstring injury.
The player was training alone in the week ahead of the game, but Mauricio Pochettino says that whilst he still isn’t 100%, he could help the team at some point on Saturday.
“He’s much better,” Pochettino said. “He’s doing well. He’s progressing. He’s still not at his best, not 100 percent, but he’s close to being able to help the team at some point.
“Reece was training good the last few days and it’s now to talk about with all the medical staff and everything and then decide if he can be part of the squad [on Saturday].”
Pochettino suggested there are also some minor doubts about Axel Disasi and Nico Jackson, but he’s expecting Benoit Badiashile could be available for the match.
Armando Broja, however, has been ruled out of the contest.
“Broja is out because he’s irritated his knee a little bit, but it is the other knee, not the one that was a problem in the past,” Pochettino explained.
Other Chelsea absentees include Trevoh Chalobah, Carney Chukwuemeka, Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, and Christopher Nkunku.
When you have such a gigantic squad, it’s somewhat inevitable you’ll also have a long list of injuries. Chelsea still have plenty of very expensive players to put together a team this weekend.