**Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior has confirmed that captain Reece James and winger Pedro Neto missed the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg due to injury.**
It was reported after the game that the pair failed late fitness tests, and speaking after the 1-0 defeat at the Gunners, Rosenior confirmed their injury status:
“Pedro and Reece have small knocks. They were just in too much pain for tonight.”
With the Blues facing Wolves on Saturday, James and Neto face a race against time to be fit for the trip to Molineux.
James improved fitness record
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Rosenior mentioned that the captain has only picked up a “small” knock, which will be a relief to fans, considering his injury history.
However, it must be pointed out that James has been available for the vast majority of fixtures this campaign. He did miss the FA Cup third-round tie against Charlton Athletic and the first leg of the semi-final versus Arsenal with a hip problem.
Other than that, he has only been absent from the matchday squad one other time, and that was on Tuesday evening. The 26-year-old has been able to maintain his fitness for the most part.
Latest Chelsea injury news
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We have provided a [**more comprehensive update in our article here**](https://chelseanews.com/blog/chelsea-injury-news-estevao-filip-jorgensen-jamie-gittens/), but to summarise, there are six other members of the first-team squad currently on the treatment table.
Tosin Adarabioyo (hamstring) and Romeo Lavia (fitness) are said to be the closest to making their comebacks, along with Filip Jorgensen (knock). Jamie Gittens’ hamstring injury is still being assessed, while Dario Essugo is expected to be sidelined until March. Levi Colwill is making progress in his rehabilitation from an ACL injury, with Rosenior even suggesting the defender could return before the end of the season.
[**Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here**](https://chelseanews.com/blog/chelsea-first-team-squad/)