Chelsea stars Reece James and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are set to be named in England's provisional 55-man squad for the World Cup, according to reports.
Club football will be paused in mid-November as international sides take part in this year’s World Cup in Qatar.
A host of names from around the globe will take centre stage in the tournament, with many of those expected to come from Chelsea.
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Graham Potter’s side have already experienced one international break this season, but the upcoming interval will last longer given the World Cup’s structure.
As clubs and countries approach the tournament, England boss Gareth Southgate is getting ready to name the squad he will take to compete for the Three Lions.
There is a lot of competition for places within the side, but only 26 players will make the final squad.
However, Southgate will name a provisional 55-man squad on Thursday, which will then soon be cut down to the final aforementioned total.
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According to The Telegraph, there could be a couple of surprising Chelsea inclusions in the squad.
Despite recently suffering a knee injury in the win away at AC Milan in the Champions League, James is set to be named in the provisional squad.
The 22-year-old is expected to be out of action for around eight weeks whilst he recovers, but the right wing-back does not require surgery.
Loftus-Cheek is also thought to be included in the squad, given how impressive he has been for the Blues so far this season.
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The midfielder travelled to Russia for the previous World Cup with England and made four appearances in the tournament, therefore being part of the Three Lions squad that reached the semi-finals of the competition.
James is just one of a number of players who are currently injured at Chelsea.
He is also joined by Frenchmen Wesley Fofana and N’Golo Kante, with the latter set to be on the sidelines for four months as he has to have surgery on his hamstring.
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In the 0-0 draw against Brentford on Wednesday night, Conor Gallagher was substituted early in the game with what appeared to be a knock, but we now know he is ill.
Speaking ahead of their 2-0 win against Aston Villa on Sunday, Potter commented on his side’s injury problems.
The head coach said: "I don't think you should blame everything on luck that's for sure.
"I think we can have a look and see what we can do better. Obviously, I've been here a few weeks so I haven't got the answers completely.
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"But clearly, we want to always try to improve and that's an area that we can probably improve."
Topics: Chelsea, Reece James, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, England, Gareth Southgate, Football World Cup, Football
Robert Calcutt