Reece James fit as Liam Rosenior rallies Chelsea for Arsenal encounter

Chelsea travel across London on Sunday looking to return to winning ways after their home draw with Burnley. Rosenior knows the scale of the challenge against the Premier League leaders but insisted his squad are ready.

"Reece is absolutely fine," the head coach said at Cobham. The skipper's availability is a major boost, particularly with several defenders still working their way back to full fitness.

There was encouraging news elsewhere. "Romeo Lavia is getting stronger and stronger," Rosenior explained. "We had a mini-practice match in the week where he looked really good, which is great for him."

However, Estevao remains sidelined for a little longer, while Cucurella is not yet ready. "Cucu is progressing really well but he won't be available for Sunday. Hopefully, we get him back in as soon as possible."

Jamie Gittens is advancing well in his rehabilitation programme, Levi Colwill continues to make positive strides in his long-term recovery, and Dario Essugo has returned to the training pitch. "Hopefully, we can get all these players fit and on the pitch before the end of the season," Rosenior added.

Beyond domestic matters, Rosenior also reacted to Chelsea's UEFA Champions League last-16 draw against Paris Saint-Germain.

"I'm so excited," he said. "PSG are a fantastic team. I've faced them before in France and they're a side I've always admired. I think Luis has done an incredible job there.

"These are the games you live for. It's going to be a great tie between two fantastic teams. I'm really looking forward to it - but we've got three games before that I need to focus on."

For now, though, all attention turns to Arsenal, with Rosenior confident his side can rise to the occasion in a crucial London derby.

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