The Aporia
The Aporia
Smith, D. (2026, October 10). Why isn't Reece James playing for Chelsea today? Xabi Alonso reveals injury setback. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/james-chelsea-fc-injury-latest-b1300273.html
Smith, Dom. “Why isn't Reece James playing for Chelsea today? Xabi Alonso reveals injury setback.” Evening Standard, 10 Oct. 2026, https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/james-chelsea-fc-injury-latest-b1300273.html.
Smith, Dom. “Why isn't Reece James playing for Chelsea today? Xabi Alonso reveals injury setback.” Evening Standard, October 10, 2026. https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/james-chelsea-fc-injury-latest-b1300273.html.
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Chelsea, under Xabi Alonso, are set to host Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 3pm BST. After a three-week break due to the international fixture period, Chelsea have received positive news as five players previously out with injuries — Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, Moises Caicedo, Reece James, and Marco Palestra — are now fit for selection. However, Jamie Gittens is unavailable after picking up an ankle injury while playing for the England Under-21s against Kazakhstan and will be out for several weeks.
Alonso mentioned that although Palmer, Joao Pedro, Caicedo, and Palestra were ready to play, Reece James was left out due to a minor training injury sustained on Friday. The predicted lineup for Chelsea is: Martinez; Fofana, Lacroix, Colwill; Palestra, James (sub), Caicedo, Hato; Rogers, Palmer; Joao Pedro. Bournemouth face the match without Alex Scott, Justin Kluivert, or Eli Junior Kroupi, complicating their lineup further.
Meanwhile, Chelsea's sporting director Laurence Stewart is set to leave after four years, and his responsibilities will be taken over by other members of the leadership team.
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