Graham Potter confirm fitness blow for Chelsea as 23-year-old who started vs Dortmund is ill

Reece James has been ruled out of Chelsea’s game against Leicester City tomorrow through illness.

Speaking in Friday’s pre-match press conference, Graham Potter has confirmed that James has been unwell since the midweek win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

The 23-year-old defender was absent from Chelsea’s training session today. Therefore, he will be unavailable for Saturday’s trip to Leicester in the Premier League.

“Reece has been ill, so he hasn’t trained today. He won’t make the game tomorrow,” Potter said in his press conference, as quoted by Chelsea’s 5th Stand app (1:30pm, 10 March).

It’s the kind of news that will really worry Chelsea fans going into the trip to the King Power Stadium.

Potter’s side have looked a lot better recently with a number of key players contributing, but James still stands out as one of the most integral names on the team sheet.

The England international started and impressed in Chelsea’s win against Dortmund, which has booked the club’s spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

However, the Blues will need to manage without their star wing-back against Leicester.

TalkSPORT pundit Darren Bent recently explained that Chelsea look transformed when James and Ben Chilwell start together as the wing-backs.

It’s up to Potter to find the correct balance this weekend without one half of that duo.

Our guess is that Ruben Loftus-Cheek will play as the right wing-back, something he did last weekend in the win against Leeds United.

The one saving grace for James is that he’s illness rather injured again.