Chelsea appear set to face Liverpool without Reece James ahead of the impending clash on Sunday.
The Blues will also be missing left-back Ben Chilwell for what could very well prove to be a key fixture with regard to the outcome of the title race in light of the gap both sides hope to thin between themselves and Manchester City.
“Chilly of course has had his surgery and he has our best wishes and all of our energy to come back healthy and as soon as possible. Unfortunately it seems like the season is over for him,” the German told reporters at his pre-match presser, as covered by the Echo. “With Reecey it’s a hamstring injury, a muscle injury, and as always with muscle injuries, the examination [results] comes a little bit later. You cannot rush these things.”
The 22-year-old has been a key figure for Chelsea this term, registering 11 goal contributions in 23 games (across all competitions) for the London-based outfit.
With fixtures piling up and COVID infections once again rife in the English top-flight, it’s somewhat remarkable that the season remains ongoing without some sort of circuit breaker to help clubs and the country get on top of rising cases.
As things stand, it seems the league remains as determined as ever to carry on through the crisis in the hope, presumably, of reaching the other side.
It’s always a shame regardless to lose a quality player from a fixture – a pain we know too well both this term and the last – and we’ll be wishing both Blues fullbacks a speedy recovery.
#Ep28 of The Red Nets Podcast (Special Edition): The Koppies Awards…