Chelsea could welcome back captain Reece James at Nottingham Forest today as Mauricio Pochettino’s long injury crisis finally eases off.
Blues skipper James could be involved for the first time in five months following hamstring surgery in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
The 24-year-old defender has taken part in full training at Cobham alongside midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu, who has also been out since December with hamstring issues.
Christopher Nkunku, Raheem Sterling, Thiago Silva, Axel Disasi, Malo Gusto and Levi Colwill all returned in last weekend's thumping 5-0 win over West Ham.
Chelsea now have just six players on the treatment table, which is their lowest number for some time.
Enzo Fernandez, Robert Sanchez, Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia and Carney Chukwuemeka all remain out.
It leaves manager Pochettino with genuine options for the first time as he remains under pressure to secure his Stamford Bridge future by qualifying for Europe next season.
The Argentine could look to stick with many of the same starting XI that have delivered results in recent weeks.
Djordje Petrovic should continue in goal at the City Ground, with a back four featuring Trevoh Chalobah, Silva, Benoit Badiashile and Marc Cucurella.
Cucurella has had success playing as an inverted winger when building up the play to add solidity to Chelsea’s recent performances. Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher should be the midfield pair, meanwhile.
Mykhailo Mudryk has been the only player to struggle in recent weeks and could be left out for Sterling in a forward line that will include Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Petrovic, Chalobah, Silva, Badiashile, Cucurella, Gallagher, Caicedo, Madueke, Palmer, Sterling, Jackson
Injured: Fernandez, Sanchez, Chilwell, Fofana, Lavia, Chukwuemeka
Time and date: 5.30pm BST on Saturday May 11, 2024
Venue: The City Ground, Nottingham
TV channel and live stream: Sky Sports
