Chelsea dealt cruel injury blow which could impact Liverpool twice

Reece James' injury woes are set to continue with the Chelsea captain set to be ruled out for three to four months as the full-back prepares to undergo surgery on his latest problem.

Multiple reports on Thursday state assessments on the 24-year-old's hamstring problem picked up during the 2-0 loss to Everton - a repetition of one he sustained against Liverpool on the opening day of the season - last week have culminated with all parties believing surgery is now the only appropriate course of action for James, who has already missed nearly a full season due to hamstring injuries over the past four years.

He is now scheduled to go under the knife with a Finnish specialist - a procedure that could see him ruled out of the season until April 2024. Losing a talented defender and leader within the squad could yet hamper the London club's push to climb the Premier League table and also may impact their push for silverware.

Two Liverpool fixtures rescheduled as Jurgen Klopp hit with another 12.30pm kick off

'Pretty cheap question' - David Moyes makes surprising Liverpool claim in bullish West Ham defence

This could be of benefit to Jurgen Klopp's Reds on both fronts. They are currently pencilled in to play Mauricio Pochettino's side on January 31 at Anfield.

A second clash could then come under a month later should both clubs force a repeat of the 2022 Carabao Cup final by winning their respective semi-finals in this season's competition. Liverpool sealed their place in the final four with a 5-1 victory over West Ham on Wednesday before being drawn against Fulham - the Blues also made it too via a penalty shoot-out win over Newcastle, then were drawn to play Middlesbrough.

As the final is currently down to take place on February