Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed one player who is going to start for the club against Newcastle United tomorrow.
He claimed in his pre-match press conference that Reece James will again be handed the start, and therefore captain the side as the Premier League returns this weekend.
Chelsea fans will be hoping for their side to pick up exactly where they left off before the season took yet another break for international fixtures.
The two games before the break saw them take four points and score eight goals against Tottenham and Manchester City.
A number of players stepped up in those games, with Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling particularly enjoying strong displays.
However, it is certainly fair to say that the return of James to the starting side has been a real boost for the Blues, and performances have taken a step up in that time.
James to start vs Newcastle
While Pochettino was keen to not give too much away about who will play at St. James’ Park tomorrow, he did confirm that James would be one of those starting when asked if he was ready to play 90 minutes yet.
He said: “We’ll see [if he can play 90 minutes]. He’s doing well, he’s at a very good level. Now you know one player that is going to play.”
Pochettino has not yet risked James for 90 minutes since he came back from injury, with everyone keen for him to not suffer a recurrence of any injuries.
This has allowed Malo Gusto to continue making appearances off the bench after he enjoyed a run of starts for the majority of this season so far.
He was reportedly injured before the international break began, although he has been spotted in training without any strapping on his knee, hopefully signifying that he is also back to full fitness.
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