Chelsea quartet in high spirits as Mauricio Pochettino handed welcome injury boost

Chelsea are gearing up for their London derby against Arsenal on Saturday evening at Stamford Bridge.

Mauricio Pochettino‘s side are aiming for four wins in a row in all competitions when Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal team make the short trip across the capital from north to west London.

Arsenal are currently sitting in second place in the Premier League after going unbeaten in their opening eight games of the season, while Chelsea look to have finally hit some form after early season struggles in front of goal.

Chelsea have managed to welcome several players back from injury to reduce their availability problems, while Malo Gusto will be available for selection after returning from suspension. Reece James is also hoping to be fit for Saturday’s clash, with Pochettino set to confirm what his involvement will be during Friday’s press conference.

Benoit Badiashile is nearing a return to action after suffering a hamstring injury towards the end of last season. He has been pictured in training once again with teammate Marc Cucurella. Raheem Sterling and Robert Sanchez, who won September’s Save of the Month award, were also in high spirits at Cobham.

Benoit Badiashile and Marc Cucurella

Working towards the weekend. 👊 pic.twitter.com/zDqbN2zR83

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 17, 2023

Robert Sanchez and Raheem Sterling

Rob and Raz! 🤝 pic.twitter.com/0vQIZsZ0X0

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 17, 2023

Meanwhile, Pochettino is hoping to welcome those on international duty back to Cobham this week into a positive camp ahead of facing Arsenal at the weekend.

The Argentine made clear his plans for the two-week gap in between fixtures as to how he planned to use the free time to get his side prepared for the resumption.

“I think they deserve the whole credit,” Pochettino said of his side after their 4-1 win over Burnley. “We are so happy for them and go into the international break with a different feeling than the last break.

“We will spend it trying to improve players, and trying to recover players from injury. We have two weeks which we are going to spend working at the training ground.

“Of course it’s a different mood to the break last month because to go into it with a victory is much better. We will keep pushing and working hard to try to be better next month.”