Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has revealed both Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James will make their first first-team appearances of the season in Wednesday's Carabao Cup tie against Grimsby Town.
The pair have been out with Achilles and ankle injuries respectively, but both recently featured for Chelsea's Under-23 side as they stepped up their returns.
We knew it wouldn't take long! @Calteck10's first goal since his injury came in #CFCDev's 2-0 win at Southampton on Saturday! pic.twitter.com/fEhCBwHlto
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The next step for both Hudson-Odoi and James is to get back to first-team fitness, and Lampard told Chelsea TV that the two players will be given the chance to impress against the League Two side.
He said: "They'll be involved on Wednesday night. We certainly need to look at players who haven't been playing so much against Grimsby. We'll pay them due respect but it's minutes for certain players who haven't been there.
"Callum's on the road to recovery, and it was a long injury so he needs game time, and Reece similarly. So yeah, there will be some different changes, but I expect the same level of performance."
There is no mention of whether the pair will start the game, but both players recently competed 75 minutes for the Blues' Under-23 side against Southampton, so it seems likely that they could play a significant role against Grimsby.
Centre back Marc Guehi, left back Ian Maatsen and midfielder Billy Gilmour have all been tipped to be involved in the Carabao Cup clash, although Lampard has not discussed those reports as of yet.
There could also be outings for out-of-favour stars like Christian Pulisic and Michy Batshuayi, both of whom have struggled to make any real impact for Chelsea this season.
With the Blues battling a huge number of injuries this season, Lampard will likely opt to field a hugely rotated squad against Grimsby, in the hope of keeping his stars fresh for their upcoming Premier League meeting with Brighton.
Source: 90min
