Liam Rosenior confirms double Chelsea fitness boost for Wolves clash after Arsenal absences
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Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has confirmed that Reece James and Pedro Neto should be available for Saturday's trip to Wolves following surprise absences against Arsenal.
The Blues' Carabao Cup campaign came to an end after a 1-0 defeat (4-2 on aggregate) to Arsenal in the second leg of the semi-final on Tuesday.
Rosenior made a few surprising tactical decisions, including the use of a back-three system, which, according to Declan Rice, caused a lot of problems for Arsenal.
In the end, it was not enough.
Rosenior admitted that James and Pedro Neto's absences, as well as other personnel issues, might have had an impact.
Our journey in the Carabao Cup comes to an end. #CFC | #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/1Hfzs9rAQL
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 3, 2026
"Unfortunately for us, that moment of quality just wasn't quite there tonight to beat what is a very good team at this level," Rosenior told Chelsea's in-house media team in a post-match interview.
"But we have to make sure that this setback tonight doesn't set us back for the rest of the season.
"We had a few unexpected absentees and a few players like Este who came back and went through what he went through with his family and came back and helped the team."
James' crosses and Pedro Neto's pace would have certainly provided Chelsea more firepower, especially in the later stages of the game when they had so many bodies up front in search of a breakthrough.
Not to mention that both are quite comfortable playing in a back-three system as wing-backs or, in James' case, a wide centre-back as well.
On a more positive note, the duo, who had small knocks, are expected to make their returns for the Premier League clash with Wolves on Saturday.
"Reece and Pedro should be absolutely fine for the weekend, which would be a big boost for us," the Chelsea boss explained.
"A lot of positive signs in terms of the players, their fitness, their application.
"We just need to make sure we get the result at the end of it on Saturday."
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.