Chelsea will begin to welcome back their international stars over the next couple of days and Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping to avoid any fresh injury concerns.

The Blues have suffered their fair amount of problems in the medical room this season but things have started to look brighter in recent weeks. Fortunately for Chelsea, their next opponents, Newcastle United, face the possibility of being without over 10 players this weekend.

Ahead of the game, right-back and club captain Reece James has been continuing his recovery at Cobham after opting against joining the England squad this month. James has featured in the last four games and provided an encouraging update on Tuesday over his fitness.

"Good start to the week," James wrote, captioning an image of himself training under the lights at Cobham. With the European Championships on the horizon at the end of the season, the England international will be eager to return to his best in the remainder of the season.

In more good news, summer signings Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia have been spotted working together in training. While they remained separate from the rest of the group, meaning a possible return against Newcastle is unlikely, there are certainly signs of encouragement.

One player who will return from international duty unscathed is Conor Gallagher. The Cobham graduate played in the Three Lions 2-0 win over Malta before being an unused substitute in yesterday's 1-1 draw with North Macedonia.

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Cole Palmer came on once again for Gareth Southgate and seemed to come away from the clash fine. Fellow England international Levi Colwill will be hoping that his shoulder injury that kept him out of the draw with Man City isn't too serious.

The defender missed the game and later withdrew from the England squad. Defender Malo Gusto also pulled out of his national team duties with France Under-21s.

The Blues remain without five players. Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka and Trevoh Chalobah are all long-term absentees.