Colwill, James, & Lavia: Chelsea injury list & expected return dates ahead of Aston Villa FA Cup clash

Any momentum that Chelsea might have built up over the course of January has completed dissipated in the past week. The Blues had recorded three successive Premier League victories, as well as booking a place in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, but back-to-back defeats have since halted them in their tracks.

Mauricio Pochettino's men have now conceded four goals in each of their last two matches, firstly against Liverpool and then again against Wolves, and find themselves in the bottom half of the top flight table. On Wednesday evening, they face a tricky FA Cup fourth round replay against Aston Villa, with the winners set to host Leeds United.

For their part, Villa have also stumbled a little in recent weeks, and have won just one of their past three Premier League outings. That victory did, however, come in commanding fashion at the weekend, with Unai Emery's side beating Sheffield United 5-0 on Saturday afternoon.

But how will Chelsea line up against the Villans this evening? We've taken a closer look at their current injury list, as well as any potential return dates where available, to get a better idea.

Wesley Fofana

A long-term absentee at Stamford Bridge, Fofana underwent reconstructive surgery on his ACL in July, and may not feature this season as a result. His recovery is steady but slow, and he won't be available for a while to come.

Reece James

The Chelsea captain is constantly beset by injury issues, and is currently sidelined with a hamstring complaint, with no concrete return date in sight. Speaking recently, Pochettino said: "It is always tough for a player with a very complicated, difficult season for him. Now is the process to start to recover. One day less until he is part of the group and we are going to take it in a positive way because the most important thing is to start to solve the problem and of course, help him to be strong, being positive.”

Marc Cucurella

Cucurella is currently battling an ankle problem sustained late last year, and may not be fit enough to feature again for Chelsea until next month at least.

Romeo Lavia

So far, Lavia's stint in West London has been as anonymous as it has been marred by injury. The Belgian has made just one senior appearance since his summer arrival from Southampton, and as yet, there is not real timeframe on his return from an ongoing thigh problem.

Levi Colwill

Colwill missed out on the defeat to Wolves over the weekend having not trained on Friday, and will now presumably face an assessment ahead of his potential inclusion against Villa. It would be no surprise to see him absent again.

Robert Sanchez

Chelsea's first choice goalkeeper has not been seen between the sticks for quite a while now, but is making his way back to full fitness and should be back in the squad sooner rather than later. He won't play tonight, but he is much closer than some on this list.

Lesley Ugochukwu

Ugochukwu is recovering from a hamstring strain that he sustained against Wolves on Christmas Eve. At the time, it was predicted that he would be out for around six weeks, meaning that his comeback should be on the horizon in the relatively near future.

Trevor Chalobah

Seemingly surplus to requirements under Mauricio Pochettino, Chalobah is nonetheless rapidly nearing a return to match fitness, and could bolster Chelsea's defensive options in the coming days. He is back in first team training.