Mauricio Pochettino and his Chelsea players battled the rain at Cobham this morning as we began our preparations for Saturday’s FA Cup third round clash against Preston North End.

Over the next few days, our attention will turn away from the Premier League. Preston are up first as we attempt to go to the fourth round of the FA Cup, which we have won eight times.

On Tuesday evening, we go to the North East to face Middlesbrough in the first leg of our Carabao Cup semi-final. Both games are must-wins for the Blues.

After back-to-back victories, spirits at Cobham remain high, and Andrey Santos made a welcome return to the squad this morning. After his loan spell at Nottingham Forest was cut short, the Brazil international has returned to Chelsea.

Vice-captain Ben Chilwell was also present as he recovers from an injury. The England international has been out since late September.

We’ve chosen our favorite photographs from today’s session, which you can see below.