Two Chelsea stars missing from training ahead of crucial Club World Cup showdown

Both Reece James and Nicolas Jackson were missing from Chelsea's training session on Monday, just less than 36 hours before their final FIFA Club World Cup group match.

The Blues were being put through their paces in the boiling hot heat - 35 degrees Celsius to be exact - in Philadelphia, but there was no sign of James or Jackson. For the latter, it is a bit more understandable given he is suspended for the Esperance match anyway because of his red card in the defeat to Flamengo.

Chelsea may well be sparing Jackson from training in the extreme weather conditions given he is unavailable regardless. For James, though, who has a history with consistent injury problems, it is much more concerning. Although it is worth pointing out he does miss the odd training session with the Blues taking a much more cautious approach with him than with most players.

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The rest of the 28-man squad that travelled to the United States earlier in the month were involved in the training session - which is good news for Enzo Maresca. Andrey Santos was part of the session with the Brazilian midfielder still looking to make his competitive debut for the club after returning from his loan at Strasbourg.

No decision is yet to be made on Santos' future in terms of where he will be playing his football next season, football.london understands, with the ongoing Club World Cup initially viewed as a platform for the midfielder to prove himself. However, that has not been the case to date, with the Brazil international not getting on the pitch in either of the opening two games.

In order for Chelsea to qualify for the knockout stage of the revamped competition, the Blues need to avoid defeat to Tunisian side Esperance. Chelsea - if this turns out to be the case - would qualify in second-place in Group D, meaning they would take on Bayern Munich or Benfica in the round of 16.