Chelsea captain Reece James fit for Man United clash

Chelsea captain Reece James is set to face Manchester United, manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed.

The England international, who came on as a second-half substitute in last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle, had been a doubt for Friday’s showdown after missing training earlier this week.

However, speaking at Thursday’s pre-match press conference, Maresca revealed that Reece James has returned to training and is expected to be available for selection.

He said: “Reece is okay. He was ill so he was out for Tuesday’s session but yesterday he had the session with us.”

The Blues will be without Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu for their upcoming match against United.

Nkunku remains sidelined due to injury, while Guiu, despite making significant progress in training, is not yet ready to return to action.

“He’s started to train for us but he’s not ready to start,” Maresca added.

Reece James had been a doubt for Friday’s showdown after missing training earlier this week

Nicolas Jackson begins a three-match suspension following his red card at St James’ Park, while Jadon Sancho is ineligible to face his parent club.

Mykhailo Mudryk is also unavailable, and Wesley Fofana will miss the remainder of the season.

“We don’t have Nico for this game and we are working on that. These are the options we have, unfortunately we don’t have many options [to play as a striker],” Maresca said.

“It depends a little bit on the game plan. When playing against a line of five, I prefer to have a ‘real’ nine because you need to attack behind, you need that threat.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have that so we need to find a solution. I like a ‘false’ nine when we face a line of four, because you can link a little more.

“But against five defenders, you need people running in behind. But it is what it is, and we need to find a different solution.”

A victory for the Blues would move them a step closer to securing a top-five finish, which could be enough to qualify for next season’s Champions League.