It does not feel like hyperbole to suggest that this is the biggest week of Chelsea's season so far. The team's Champions League hopes hang by a thread going into the second leg, and ground was lost in the race to qualify for the competition next season. 

Even if the team do fail to turnaround the three goal deficit against defending champions PSG, there is still an important game against Everton at the weekend before the break. 

Failing to win is a bad habit, and no wins this week would mean four winless games in a row. Heading into an international break, could that genuinely put Liam Rosenior's job at risk? 

Well, the gaffer is certainly not being helped by some injury news on Monday afternoon. Indeed not, as Simon Johnson is reporting that captain Reece James is set to be out for several "weeks" with a hamstring injury. 

This means that Chelsea will be without him for the games against PSG and Everton this week, as well as the FA Cup game against Port Vale on the 4th of April. He would also miss a potential Champions League quarter-final first leg. 

After that, the next game is against Manchester City on the 12th of April. So, it depends on what meets the threshold for "several weeks" that will determine his availability for that game. The aforementioned games are all within three weeks, so we can assume they meet the criteria. 

The skipper will also miss England's friendlies with Uruguay and Japan at Wembley on the 27th and 31st of this month. Not a disaster in isolation, but it may bring some PTSD back for James. He missed both the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024. It would break his heart to miss another major tournament. 

Under his former Chelsea boss, Thomas Tuchel, you'd imagine he will be a shoo in all being well. He featured in six of the eight World Cup qualifiers, scoring against Latvia and assisting against Andorra. 

However, there has never been doubt about his ability when fit. But the final two words there are the operative ones. Fortunately, his availability has certainly improved in the last two seasons, particularly the last 18 months, so let's hope this is just a one off. 

In the meantime, this a big opportunity for Malo Gusto at right-back, and Andrey Santos in the middle of the park to show what they can do, and try to prove they can produce at the highest level. No finer test than tomorrow night. Let's see.  

Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!

It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.

Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!