Chelsea suffer Reece James injury blow ahead of Arsenal showdown

By Sedara Philip

Chelsea are likely to be without Reece James for Saturday’s London derby against Arsenal

The club captain had been hoping to make his comeback from the hamstring injury he suffered in August which has ruled him out of action since the opening game of the season.

James, according to The Evening Standard, has been training alone over the course of the international break having withdrawn from group sessions.

The 23-year-old is, however, said to be confident he has avoided a major setback and will hope to make his return imminently.

Chelsea will, at least, be able to recall Malo Gusto who has missed three matches following the controversial red card he received in the 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa earlier this month

Mauricio Pochettino may also be without another player who had been closing in on a return in Carney Chukwuemeka who had made an impressive start to the season before succumbing to a knee injury against West Ham.

Chelsea are unlikely to take a risk with the former Aston Villa star who is said to have felt discomfort in his knee earlier this week.

Armando Broja, too, is carrying a knock and will start on the bench at best with Nicolas Jackson likely to start in attack, albeit wearing a protective cast on his wrist following a small operation.

Midfield duo Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo will be assessed upon their return to the club with both having featured for their countries in South American World Cup qualifiers.

Cole Palmer and Axel Disasi are expected to recover from knocks they picked up during the international break, but the likes of Ben Chilwell, Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavie remain long-term absentees.