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The Blues have several injury issues ahead of their crucial Premier League clash with Brentford at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
New Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has a strong squad to work with but could be without Cole Palmer, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens for his first Premier League match.
Reece James injury latest ahead of Chelsea v Brentford
James, like Palmer, was left out of the squad for Wednesday nights’ 3-2 loss to Arsenal in the League Cup semi-finals first leg.
And Rosenior provided an update on the 26-year-old’s fitness, with his last appearance as a substitute against Fulham on January 7.
"We have been really unfortunate,” Rosenior told Sky Sports before the Arsenal game. “Reece took a knock on his hip, so was not quite ready for this one.”
In a later press conference, Rosenior said: "Reece and Cole, both of them are training today, so we just need to assess them after the session and make sure that they come through all of the protocols that they need to come through.
“It would be great to have them back in the squad [for the weekend]. At the moment, it looks like they could be [involved]."
The involvement of James, who has played both as a right-back and midfielder this season, would be a boost for Chelsea.
James, having struggled with recurring injuries in previous seasons, is expected to have a late fitness test ahead of the Brentford clash.
The England international has played 20 times in the Premier League so far this season, 14 of which have been starts.
He has been in strong form, too, recording four assists and scoring twice.
James has not managed 20 Premier League appearances since the 2021/22 season.
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