Five players could miss Leicester vs Chelsea as two huge blows confirmed and new Reece James update

Enzo Maresca and Steve Cooper will both be without key players for their clash on Saturday.

This will be Maresca's first time back the King Power Stadium after leaving Leicester City at the end of last season. He took them to the top of the Championship with 97 points, taking them back to the Premier League.

Chelsea find themselves third in the table, tied on points with Arsenal in fourth. They have only picked up one win in their last five league games. They will surely be looking at securing all three points in the Midlands to edge themselves closer to Man City and Liverpool.

The Foxes have struggled since Maresca left them for Stamford Bridge. Sitting in 15th, three points above the drop-zone, they'll be wanting to prove a point to their old manager.

Reece James

After just recently recovering from a hamstring injury which saw the Chelsea captain dropped from the squad for two months, Maresca gave Blues fans further bad news.

James has suffered yet another hamstring complaint ahead Chelsea's first game back from the international break and is set for a scan.

Maresca said: "We have, for sure, just one injured player and that is Reece [James.] Unfortunately, he felt something small and we do not want to take a risk with him at the weekend. He is the only one for sure who is not available for this weekend."

Cole Palmer

Chelsea's star man pulled out of England duty for their Nations League matches. Palmer was the victim of a scraping challenge from Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez. Although he did play the full 90 minutes against Arsenal following the challenge, he took the two week break to rest.

Maresca commented on Palmer pulling out of England duty saying: "To be honest, after we played Arsenal I left for one week [on holiday] so I don't know about the conversations between the club and the international teams."

Levi Colwill

Like Palmer, Colwill also pulled out of international duty to focus on his rehabilitation. Although there is no 'official' injury to the defender, it is likely related to loading concerns. This follows the 21-year-old playing every league minute so far this season.

Talking about both Palmer and Colwill, Maresca commented: "As I said, some of them are better, some we will test today. But overall, for sure, they are much better."

Leicester

Abdul Fatawu

One of the Foxes' most promising forwards has taken on a serious injury following his recent international action with Ghana. Fatawu could be out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury. For an already struggling team, this is not what Leicester needed.

Stever Cooper spoke on Fatawu, saying: "It's not good, it's a serious injury. He's had an ACL injury which is going to rule him out for the reason of the season. It's a real blow, first and foremost for him.

"He's a young player and having an ACL injury can be quite common, it's part of football, but it's a serious injury. For it to happen at a young age is a blow for him and a blow for us."

Facundo Buonanotte

Buonanotte, one of Leicester's star players, will be unavailable for selection due to suspension. Because he has picked up five yellow cards in 10 games, exceeding the League's limit of 19 games, he will be suspended for the clash with Chelsea.

The Argentine has scored three goals this season with two assists. His ability on the ball will certainly be missed by Cooper in an important home game.

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