James and Colwill fit for cup final
Chelsea have been handed a major double fitness boost ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester City, with Reece James and Levi Colwill both declared fit.
James, the Chelsea captain, came through a late cameo against Liverpool last weekend and has trained without issue throughout the week. Colwill also successfully navigated his return to action at Anfield following a long-term knee injury and is in contention to start at Wembley.
Interim head coach Calum McFarlane confirmed the positive news, while also revealing that wingers Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho have bolstered his options after returning to training.
“I’m happy with Reece; he’s trained well this week,” McFarlane said.
“We were confident he was able to play those minutes at Liverpool and he came through them well. We’re really hopeful he can finish the season in that sort of form.
“Levi was exceptional against Liverpool. It is tricky coming back from an ACL, but he has had a really good rehab and played for the under-21s two or three times before coming back.
“He’s trained well and we’re looking forward to potentially having him on Saturday as well.”
On the wider injury front, McFarlane added: “Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho have trained well this week so it’s looking really good. We’re really hopeful with them as well, so there are positive signs.”
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is also fit and available, though McFarlane refused to confirm whether he or Filip Jorgensen would start in goal.
The Blues face a daunting task against Pep Guardiola’s side, having failed to beat City in their past 10 meetings. However, McFarlane insists the squad remains confident despite a difficult Premier League campaign.
He said: “They’ve got the belief they can beat anyone. We just know that we have to be the best version of ourselves.
“They’re an exceptional side with an exceptional coach, so they’re going to be a challenge, but we also have some really good players who have shown that if they’re at their best, they can beat anyone.”
