Chelsea to leave Reece James and Cole Palmer semi-final decision to last minute

By Edward Elliot, Press Association

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior will make late decisions on the fitness of Reece James and Cole Palmer ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal.

Blues captain James and forward Palmer were notable absentees for Rosenior’s first game in charge after missing Saturday’s 5-1 FA Cup third-round win at Charlton as precautionary measures.

Defender Malo Gusto also sat out the win at The Valley and is another who will be assessed, while midfielder Moises Caicedo is suspended after collecting two yellow cards in the earlier rounds.

“We’ve had no injury problems coming out from Charlton, which is a really, really good thing,” said Rosenior.

“I’ll make a decision on Cole, Reece and Malo tomorrow. I’m giving them some extra time. I’ve got time to make a decision. I haven’t made a decision on the team. We’ll make that decision tomorrow or on the morning of Wednesday.

“They’re being managed and it was a good time for them to rest in an FA Cup game.

“I believe in this group. There’s no reason to take risks on players’ health, if you believe you can win the game and they can come through and get extra training sessions and extra bits of work, and that’s the way it’s worked out so far.”