Chelsea interim manager Calum McFarlane met the media today, and during the press conference session, provided fitness updates on team captain Reece James (thigh/hamstring) and ace defender Levi Colwill (recovery from long-term knee injury).
“Reece is back in training,” McFarlane said. “We’re still a little way out from the game, so we’ll see how they do in the next few sessions. We’re taking it day by day.”
Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Sept. 2 3pm, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
PL Position, Form: Chelsea 8th, 48 pts, LLLLL Nottingham Forest 16th, 3 pts, DWDWW
Google Result Probability: Chelsea 57% Draw 23% Nottingham Forest 20%
Blues Team News
“Reece had a really good run and was then injured again, so we don’t want to push too much.” Both are basically 50/50 propositions for Monday night, when relegation scrappers Nottingham Forest come to town. The Tricky Trees are close to clinching safety, and a result here would basically ensure that they stay up for next season.
They’ll come into this one though much wearier than Chelsea, with their having just played last night- beating Aston Villa in the Europa League semi-final, leg one of their two legged-tied.
Maybe Chelsea can end their horrendous losing streak in this one, given how they will be much fresher than Forest for this one.
The other big Chelsea news this week pertains to Mykhailo Mudryk, who officially filed an appeal this week, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The Ukrainian is appealing the FA’s decision to hand him a four-year suspension, the maximum penalty available, following a long-running investigation into his having failed a routine drug screen.
The winger has been out since December 2024 after an “adverse finding in a routine urine test” led to his being suspended by the club. Chelsea have not publicly commented since the official statement on June 18:
“We can confirm that Mykhailo Mudryk has been charged with Anti-Doping Rule Violations alleging the presence and/or use of a prohibited substance, in terms of Regulations 3 and 4 of The FA’s Anti-Doping Regulations. As this is an ongoing case, we are not in a position to comment further at this time.”
If Mudryk loses his appeal and the ruling stands, he would be out until December 2028 (with the ban being retroactively applied to when he was first provisionally suspended). With that in mind, one has to wonder if Mudryk will ever play for Chelsea again?
And if/when he does play football again, where/when will that be?
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.