Thegoalmac can reveal that Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas remain doubts for Chelsea ahead of Saturday's headline Premier League clash against Manchester City, with Jose Mourinho's side looking to open up an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
Costa
was charged with violent conduct by the Football Association for an
apparent stamp on Emre Can in Chelsea's League Cup semi-final win over
Liverpool on Tuesday – a game Fabregas limped out of with a hamstring
injury.
Chelsea's top scorer will discover if he has received a
ban on the eve of the game, while the league's most prolific assist
provider's fitness will be tested.
If unable to call upon the
Spain duo, Mourinho will have to reshuffle his pack – which may have
been on the cards anyway having been taken to extra time by Liverpool –
though any hints will not be forthcoming after the Portuguese cancelled
his pre-match media conference, having been fined €33,000 this week over
comments about referees.
Chelsea sit five points above City at
the Premier League summit, with the champions having drawn at Everton
and lost to Arsenal after drawing level with Mourinho's side with a
strong run of festive results.
The late kick-off at Stamford
Bridge provides City's first chance to respond to last weekend's FA Cup
elimination at the hands of Championship promotion
hopefuls Middlesbrough, with Chelsea themselves still rebuilding
confidence after a stunning 4-2 loss to Bradford City.
Manuel
Pellegrini has his own star striker, Sergio Aguero, fit and firing after
a knee injury, though Frank Lampard's return to Stamford Bridge is sure
to intrigue.
Chelsea's all-time leading goalscorer joined City
in pre-season in a move that has caused some controversy and he has
already come back to haunt the fans who revered him so much – hitting
his new employers' equaliser in September's 1-1 draw between the sides
at the Etihad Stadium.
Lampard was regardless handed a warm
reception by Chelsea's fans that day, with another generous
welcome expected upon his return to west London.
Any hopes
Pellegrini may have held of having Yaya Toure back in his midfield were
dashed on Wednesday by Ivory Coast's progression in the Africa Cup of
Nations, while Samir Nasri remains sidelined by a calf injury, meaning
Lampard could be in the team from the start.
Mourinho has further
concerns in his defence with Filipe Luis (calf) and match-winner
Branislav Ivanovic (foot) also sustaining injuries in midweek.
No comments:
Post a Comment