Hayes gives James fitness update ahead of pivotal Man City clash

James was due to start last weekend’s FA Cup meeting with Crystal Palace but was a late withdrawal due to illness. She was replaced by Fran Kirby and the Blues went on to secure a 1-0 win.

Four days have passed since that victory and, at her pre-match media conference, Hayes delivered an update on the 22-year-old forward.

‘Lauren is fine and available for selection,’ reported Hayes, who also gave the latest on several of Chelsea’s other injured players.

‘I think Cat [Macario] will partake in a game during the international break and she will be available after that. Millie Bright is getting much closer and her being back after the international break could be quite likely.

‘Sam [Kerr] is in good spirits. She had lunch with us yesterday. She’s got her head down and the first 90 days are critical after an ACL injury so she’s putting her energy into getting herself in the best place possible.’

One of the undoubted biggest games of the season will be played at a sold-out Kingsmeadow tomorrow. Chelsea are three points ahead of second-place Manchester City in the Women’s Super League with nine games left to play.

‘We are in a good moment,’ declared Hayes. ‘We’re winning, players are getting opportunities to play, we’re playing at Kingsmeadow, a place we love, so it is a fixture we look forward to.

‘When we play top WSL teams, you go toe to toe so it’s a much different game from recent ones playing a team with 11 bodies behind the ball, so you have to be prepared for that. Training this week has been focused on how we get into good situations and most importantly, how we execute.’

Chelsea are currently 33 games unbeaten at home in the WSL; they are tied with Man City for the best such run in the competition’s history. Tomorrow we could set a new record but that is a mere sideshow for Hayes.

‘I don’t talk about records because the focus becomes around that instead of the performance.

‘It is like anybody when they return home. They have that feeling of comfort. It’s the familiarity.

‘It is a ground we’ve had such amazing memories at and a lot of these players are playing in big games all the time, so this is just another notch in our season. I just look forward to hearing the fans in the stadium. When it is filled it makes it a much more enjoyable experience.

‘We like playing at Kingsmeadow. We feel comfortable there and we know our fanbase will be big for us tomorrow. We understand the opponent we’re playing but for us at Chelsea, our focus is only on getting ourselves right and if we do that then we know we’ll make it a competitive game.’