{"id":8767,"date":"2026-05-15T13:38:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T13:38:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=8767"},"modified":"2026-05-15T13:38:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T13:38:36","slug":"reece-james-ready-to-start-first-game-since-march-in-fa-cup-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=8767","title":{"rendered":"Reece James ready to start first game since March in FA Cup final"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Reece James is ready to hand Chelsea a boost ahead of the FA Cup final against Manchester City and start his first game since March according to reports.<\/p>\n

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Chelsea take on City at Wembley on Saturday looking to win their first domestic trophy since 2018, and record a first win against Pep Guardiola\u2019s side since 2021.<\/p>\n

The Blues stopped a run of six consecutive league defeats last weekend against Liverpool as they secured a 1-1 draw at Anfield.<\/p>\n

Reece James ready to start FA Cup final<\/h2>\n

With Chelsea sat ninth in the league, winning the FA Cup is looking like their last hope of playing any form of European football next season.<\/p>\n

Calum McFarlane has confirmed Robert Sanchez will be available, whilst he\u2019s hopeful Levi Colwill can once again start.<\/p>\n

Another major boost would be the availability of James, who played his first minutes since March as a second half substitute against Liverpool.<\/p>\n

McFarlane confirmed James had trained well this week, and The Telegraph have reported he\u2019s ready to start, and could play in midfield or as a right wing back against City.<\/p>\n

If James is able to start it certainly increases Chelsea\u2019s chances of winning, and with both him and Colwill in the side the Blues are instantly better from a defensive standpoint.<\/p>\n

If you enjoy Chelsea News coverage and want to see more of it, add us as a <\/span>preferred source on Google <\/span>to make us a favourite and see more of our content.<\/em><\/p>\n

In other news\u2026<\/h2>\n

Chelsea have no intention of selling Joao Pedro this summer, despite the striker attracting interest from Spanish champions Barcelona.<\/p>\n

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Pedro is said to be one of Chelsea\u2019s \u201cuntouchables\u201d and has scored 20 goals in all competitions this season, with 15 of those coming in the Premier League.<\/p>\n

Check out the latest edition of Simon Phillips\u2019 SPTC podcast here:<\/em><\/p>\n