**Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior says captain Reece James “should be fit” to face Leeds on Tuesday evening.**
There were concerns that the 26-year-old had picked up a significant injury after he missed the 3-1 win over Wolves at the weekend, but Rosenior insists that James is only carrying a minor niggle:
“He’s so close. He should be fit for Tuesday. It’s not a major problem at all. It’s a knock. Pain management issue. He was out running yesterday.”
The fullback was also sidelined for the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal last week, but it seems he is set to return to the squad after a two-match absence.
James has been available for most of the season
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The Wolves fixture was only the fourth game this campaign that the England international has missed due to fitness issues.
Up until the New Year, James had a spotless record, but he was unavailable for two matches last month (the FA Cup third round tie against Charlton and the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final) due to a hip injury.
This latest fitness issue also appears to be a relatively minor setback, especially compared to previous seasons when he spent months on the sidelines.
Latest Chelsea injury news
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Pedro Neto was back for the Wolves match. The Portuguese international started and played the full 90 minutes at Molineux. It means that (including James) there are seven first-team players on the treatment table.
Tosin Adarabioyo (hamstring) and Romeo Lavia (fitness) are expected to be back soon. Filip Jorgensen is unlikely to be absent for too long either, but Dario Essugo has been ruled out of contention until March.
Jamie Gittens (hamstring) could be [**missing for several months**](https://chelseanews.com/blog/chelsea-injury-news-jamie-gittens-fans/), as will Levi Colwill (ACL), although there is hope that the latter can return before the campaign is over.
[**Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here**](https://chelseanews.com/blog/chelsea-first-team-squad/)