Chelsea boss Graham Potter provides injury update on Reece James and Ben Chilwell ahead of Liverpool clash

Chelsea manager Graham Potter has confirmed that star defenders Reece James and Ben Chilwell are set to miss their team's Premier League away clash against Liverpool on Saturday (January 21).

James, 23, has recently returned to first-team training for the Stamford Bridge side after aggravating his recurring knee problem during a 2-0 Premier League home win against Bournemouth last month. He had initially sustained the injury during a UEFA Champions League 2-0 away win against Serie A champions AC Milan in October last year.

Chilwell, on the other hand, has also made a return to full training for the Blues after missing nine matches across all competitions due to a hamstring injury. He has been out of action since November last year.

During a pre-match press conference, Potter was queried about the availability of his returning players against Liverpool. He responded:

"Ruben [Loftus-Cheek] was on the bench in the last match against Crystal Palace but he's a lot closer now. Reece has joined team training but won't be involved at the weekend. Same for Ben."

When asked about the upcoming clash, the Chelsea boss replied:

"I'm confident but I respect Liverpool and Anfield. It's a tough place to go at any point, a fantastic football club. Jurgen [Klopp] is a top manager but we've come through a tough spell. Players are coming back, new ones are arriving. There is a buzz at the training ground."

Chelsea are currently struggling at 10th place in the 2022-23 Premier League table with 28 points from 19 games. The Merseyside outfit, on the other hand, are ninth with an identical number of points from 18 league matches.

Mark Lawrenson offers his prediction for upcoming Liverpool-Chelsea showdown

In his Paddy Power column, Reds legend Mark Lawrenson has predicted a 1-1 result between his erstwhile club and Chelsea. He elaborated:

"Lunchtime fixtures are normally a little bit dull as everyone's still waking up! Off the back of Liverpool's 1-0 FA Cup victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the mid-week, I'll go for a draw."

Highlighting both teams' crucial absentees, Lawrenson wrote:

"Joao Felix is suspended for Chelsea and they actually looked better against Fulham even though they lost 2-1. Defensively, they might stop Liverpool because I'm not too sure about who's going to play up front for the Reds as Darwin Nunez is a big doubt for the match."

Liverpool have lost just two of their last 15 Premier League matches against the Stamford Bridge outfit, while registering six wins.