Cesar Azpilicueta and Marc Cucurella will return to the starting lineup when Chelsea and Aston Villa face off at Villa Park on Sunday.
Chelsea will aim to continue the recent winning run when they lock horns with Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon. And Graham Potter has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
The Chelsea boss is sweating over the fitness of Reece James, who picked up a knee injury against AC Milan. The English defender is now at risk of missing the 2022 FIFA World Cup. But first, he will see a consultant to gauge the seriousness of his issue.
Another player who might miss the World Cup is N’Golo Kante, who has suffered another setback on his road to recovery. Wesley Fofana is the only other absentee for Chelsea against Aston Villa. And Potter spoke about James and Kante’s issues during his pre-match press conference.
The Chelsea boss said, “He’s [James] due to see a specialist over the weekend, so until we get that information there’s not too much else I can add unfortunately. The rest would be speculation. We will wait and see. We need to check the discomfort and see a specialist.”
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“Yesterday he felt not too bad, but until you get these things checked you never know. We will wait and see. There’s no point looking into the doomsday scenario yet, we need to check and then go forward.”
“He’s [Kante] due to see a consultant at the weekend. It’s a setback, it’s not good news, but I can’t give you anything more at this stage. Historically there are things which have happened which is a concern, so we need to get to the bottom of that. It’s a setback at this stage of this rehab which is worrying, but all we can do is get the right diagnosis, get the right consultation, and try and help him get back to full fitness and enjoying his football.”
An official update from Chelsea has revealed that James will be out for eight weeks, meaning he will miss the World Cup. As for the immediate matters at hand, Cesar Azpilicueta should replace James as the right wing-back. Meanwhile, Marc Cucurella should come in for Ben Chilwell on the opposite flank.
Fofana’s continued absence means Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly pick themselves as the three centre-backs. The trio will cover Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Chelsea goal. Up ahead in midfield, Jorginho might drop out, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek replacing him. The English international will start alongside Mateo Kovacic in the middle of the park.
Potter has little reason to tinker with his offensive unit. But Christian Pulisic might get a chance to impress, with Raheem Sterling getting some rest. Pulisic will join Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mason Mount in the final third against Aston Villa.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Kepa; Chalobah, Silva, Koulibaly; Azpilicueta, Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek, Cucurella; Mount, Aubameyang, Pulisic
