Nkunku, James, Palmer - Latest Chelsea injury news and return dates for Arsenal with two boosts

Mauricio Pochettino now has a vital two weeks for his Chelsea side to do some recovering after playing the past set of games with one hand effectively tied behind his back. At times in between the last set of international fixtures and the break that is upon us the Argentine has had as many as 12 first team players out.

With suspensions, poor form and pressure all combining in that period it hasn't been a smooth start to life at Stamford Bridge but the next fortnight offers a chance to properly integrate some of the key players back into the mix. When asked by football.london what the goals were for the break, he replied: «To improve players, try to recover players from injury in two weeks, we're going to spend working in the training ground.

»Of course different mood from the last time, last month. With a victory, it is much better. I think pushing, keep pushing and working hard to try and be better."

For the Blues it is imperative that the fitness issues don't get any worse now as they approach a tough set of fixtures starting at home to Arsenal on October 21. Here, football.london has the latest from the Chelsea injury camp.

After waiting since the first day of the season for him to return from injury, the 23-year-old is back, but couldn't feature over the weekend. James was given a retrospective one-game ban after being found guilty of abusing an official during Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa.

It meant that he missed the clash with Burnley, but with a two-week break before the Arsenal game, there is growing hope the captain will be back involved.

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