Thiago Silva, Reece James, Christopher Nkunku - Chelsea injury news and return dates for Newcastle

Fortunately for Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea have an extended period of time before they next play. For the Blues, it is vital that the full week be put to good use.

Without European football commitments or domestic cup action, both Chelsea and Newcastle will be as fresh as ever when they face off at Stamford Bridge on Monday night. Having been two of the most injury-hit squads across the season, it is a small boost heading into the game.

By the time they kick-off in west London under the lights, both teams could be in the bottom half of the table. As the battle to finish inside the top seven continues, it is a possibly season-defining game.

Ahead of the weekend of FA Cup quarter-final action for both sides, it would be an enormous boost to claim victory here. For Pochettino, it is a chance to respond on the field to further frustration from the fans after he was at the centre of strongly worded chants on Saturday afternoon.

The head coach has complained of fatigue to his group in the past week after lacklustre performances, but now surely knows that the excuses have run dry for many that will be in attendance. Here, football.london looks at the latest in his camp before the game.

Shortly after returning from the treatment room in November, James suffered another hamstring injury in Chelsea's clash against Everton. The defender has been out ever since, but he's recently begun his recovery phase in individual training at Cobham. He spent some time away in Qatar to aid his rehabilitation recently.

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Injury: Hamstring.

Predicted return date: April 2024.