Chelsea Offered Huge Injury ‘Boost’ for Crunch Fixtures

Arguably Chelsea’s most important player is expected to be back in time to help the club qualify for the Champions League and appear at the World Cup.

Liam Rosenior has been mercifully offered a piece of good news. | Ben STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images

Reece James is reportedly on course to feature for Chelsea by the start of May, freeing up the club captain to potentially make the difference in a series of crucial fixtures as the Blues chase down Champions League qualification.

James had gone more than a year between hamstring injuries. Operating under a strict schedule determined by detailed physical data compiled during training sessions, the England international was available for each of Chelsea’s first 24 Premier League fixtures.

However, the Christmas-season workload eventually took its toll. James managed to shake off a minor hip injury before those problematic hamstrings flared up once again in the middle of March. Initial reports suggested that the 26-year-old could be sidelined for as many as two months, with talk of his availability at the World Cup briefly called into question.

Now it is claimed that James will be back by May, according to The Guardian. Chelsea still have four fixtures to navigate before the end of April, with the Manchester pairing of City and United both visiting Stamford Bridge over the next two weeks.

The Blues travel to Brighton in the league before taking on Leeds United in the FA Cup semifinal at Wembley Stadium on April 25. The big games keep on coming in May.

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The Chelsea Games Reece James Could Return For

Reece James is arguably Chelsea’s most important player. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Chelsea’s battle for Champions League qualification looks as though it will boil down to a straight shootout with Liverpool. The defending top-flight champions sit just one point ahead of the Blues even though Liam Rosenior’s side limped into the international break in woeful form. Liverpool also have the added complication of Champions League action, although if Paris Saint-Germain replicate their performances against Chelsea that won’t last long.

One of James’s first games back could very well be a crucial clash with Liverpool at Anfield on May 9. Chelsea have only won one of their previous seven trips to the red half of Merseyside; a 1–0 victory behind closed doors during the 2020–21 COVID-19-impacted campaign. The last time Chelsea won a Premier League game at Anfield in front of a crowd, James had not yet left school, let alone began his professional career.

There is also the small matter of a toxic London derby against Tottenham Hotspur. Chelsea have already proved that getting one over Spurs is ample motivation but the added prospect of potentially contributing to the north London side’s relegation is sure to make this a fascinating spectacle. Having James available will only help Chelsea.

The same rings true for a potential FA Cup final. However, Chelsea must first find a way past Leeds United without James—which is by no means a certainty. The Yorkshire outfit took four points off their illustrious capital foes in the Premier League this season across two matches, both of which James missed.

Should Rosenior find a way past the promoted relegation battlers, he will be pitted against one of Manchester City or Southampton in the FA Cup showpiece.

Date	Opponent	Competition
May 4	Nottingham Forest (H)	Premier League
May 9	Liverpool (A)	Premier League
May 16*	Man City/Southampton	FA Cup
May 17	Tottenham (H)	Premier League
May 24	Sunderland (A)	Premier League

* Potential fixture.

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