Chelsea are handed a double injury boost ahead of Saturday’s Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest.
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has been handed a double injury boost ahead of Saturday’s Premier League fixture at Nottingham Forest.
Just over a week ago, the Blues had 14 first-team players in their treatment room, resulting in a scenario where they had no outfield players with a Premier League start to their name on the substitutes’ bench for the game with Tottenham Hotspur on May 2.
However, three days later, the situation had drastically improved, Pochettino able to welcome back six senior players to the squad for the meeting with West Ham United.
With six days of preparation ahead of their next outing, there was always the possibility of more players coming back into contention for the trip to the City Ground.
The West Londoners have now revealed that two more squad members are available for selection ahead of another important fixture in the race for the European places.
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James, Ugochukwu to return to the squad
Reece James and Lesley Ugochukwu have each been participating in full training this week and will feature in the squad for the contest in the East Midlands.
James has not played since suffering another hamstring injury during the game at Everton on December, while Ugochukwu’s last appearance came on Christmas Eve when he, too, suffered a hamstring issue.
Speaking on James, Pochettino acknowledged at a press conference on Friday that the pending return of the club captain represented a “massive boost” to the squad.
The Argentine told reporters: “The most important thing is that he is going to be there with us. Always to have your captain is a massive boost for any team. Then because we have an amazing relationship and he is an amazing player.
“I know it is not easy always to come from a long-term injury. The most important thing is that he can be available and be a part of the squad and then if he can play five, 10, 15, 20 [minutes] or half an hour, it is going to be amazing.
“It is unlucky it is only the last week and we have three games. It is important for good feelings and for him it is going to be amazing to be involved.”
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What about the other injured players?
Earlier in the media briefing, Pochettino commented on the injury situation in general, saying: “We need to assess today some players that maybe can be involved tomorrow in the game.
“But yes, happy because it’s true that we are in the last week and we are going to be in the last week of the season with nearly all of the players fit and available. It’s good to see the future and be more optimistic.”
Despite that positive update, the likes of Ben Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka are likely to miss out as they continue to recover from knee issues.
Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez have already been ruled out for the rest of the season.
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