• Chelsea players take part in a training session at The Ritz Carlton Abu Dhabi on December 5, 2022.
    Chelsea players take part in a training session at The Ritz Carlton Abu Dhabi on December 5, 2022.
  • Reece James takes part in a training session at The Ritz Carlton Abu Dhabi.
    Reece James takes part in a training session at The Ritz Carlton Abu Dhabi.
  • Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and his Chelsea teammates take part a training session at The Ritz Carlton.
    Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and his Chelsea teammates take part a training session at The Ritz Carlton.
  • Reece James of Chelsea during a training session at The Ritz Carlton in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. All photos by Getty Images
    Reece James of Chelsea during a training session at The Ritz Carlton in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. All photos by Getty Images
  • Reece James heads the ball during a Chelsea training session at The Ritz Carlton.
    Reece James heads the ball during a Chelsea training session at The Ritz Carlton.
  • Trevoh Chalobah, Armando Broja, James Russell, Marcus Bettinelli and Marc Cucurella of Chelsea during a training session at The Ritz Carlton.
    Trevoh Chalobah, Armando Broja, James Russell, Marcus Bettinelli and Marc Cucurella of Chelsea during a training session at The Ritz Carlton.
  • Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Marc Cucurella and James Russell of Chelsea during a training session at The Ritz Carlton.
    Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Marc Cucurella and James Russell of Chelsea during a training session at The Ritz Carlton.
  • Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Chelsea during a training session at The Ritz Carlton.
    Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Chelsea during a training session at The Ritz Carlton.

Sport

Football

James and Kante continue return from injury as Chelsea train in Abu Dhabi - in pictures

A Blues squad comprising players absent from the World Cup is in the capital for a training camp

Jon Turner

December 06, 2022

  • English
  • Arabic

While the eyes of the football world are fixed firmly on the World Cup in Qatar, the players not involved in the tournament are continuing to stay fit for when the club season resumes.

The UAE has always been a popular destination for mid-season training camps, and Chelsea are among the clubs to be spending time in the Emirates over the next few weeks.

The Blues arrived in Abu Dhabi on Monday with a squad comprising a mix of senior players absent from the World Cup and youth team players.

Players such as Kepa Arrizabalaga, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Cucurella, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are part of the training camp having not secured places in their national team squads for the World Cup, while the likes of Jorginho, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Armando Broja are involved as their nations failed to qualify for Qatar.

Then there are the senior players in the squad who were ruled out of the World Cup with injury and are making their way back to full fitness, including Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana, and N'Golo Kante.

Full-back James has been sidelined with a knee injury since October 11 when he limped off during the Champions League match at AC Milan, while defender Fofana, a summer signing from Leicester City, injured his knee at the start of October in the home match against Milan.

Left-back Chilwell then pulled up with a hamstring injury against Dinamo Zagreb at the start of November, and midfielder Kante has not played a match since August.

All four players are continuing to make progress on their respective injury returns in Abu Dhabi as the Chelsea squad took part in a training session on Monday evening.

Check out the best photos from the training session in the photo gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.

Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species

Camelpox

Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.

Falconpox

Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.

Houbarapox

Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

Updated: December 06, 2022, 8:34 AM
Chelsea