Roberto Di Matteo confirms he intends to rotate the Chelsea squad for the remainder of the season. Kenny Dalglish reveals Charlie Adam has picked up a knee injury, Fabricio Coloccini could be back in a couple of weeks for Newcastle, Graham Dorrans might be available for West Brom this weekend, while Nikica Jelavic grabs another goal as Everton see off Sunderland in the FA Cup:
Chelsea’s Champions League lineup in Benfica was almost as eye-catching as their 1-0 win last night. Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Michael Essien were all benched, with the likes of Paolo Ferreira coming in from the cold to earn his third start of the season. Salomon Kalou vindicated his surprise inclusion by grabbing the winner for the Blues and, with FA Cup duties in addition to the race for a top four finish also playing on his mind, Roberto Di Matteo has admitted there’s going to be plenty rotation down Stamford Bridge way between now and the end of the season:
I’m involving everybody that is in the squad, rotating. We’ll need everybody until the end of the season. We cannot play with just 11 players. You’ll see other players who have maybe played a little less in the past playing more of a role in the future. It’s just impossible for us to play every three days and reach the fitness levels needed to win games.
Kenny Dalglish has revealed Charlie Adam is set to be sidelined with strained knee ligaments. While reports in the press have suggested the former Blackpool man could be out for the rest of the season after sustaining the injury in last week’s 3-2 defeat at QPR, the Liverpool boss is more optimistic on the outcome:
We know Charlie has strained knee ligaments but we still don’t know how long he will be out. He hasn’t had an operation and as it stands he’s not having one. It’s only been a week since he did it. He needs to rest it for another 10 days or so and then he will be reassessed. We’ll see how he is then and we’ll be in a better position to know when he will be back playing. We haven’t ruled him out for the rest of the season. We’re just waiting to see how he progresses.
Alan Pardew received some positive news on the hamstring injury suffered by Fabricio Coloccini in last Sunday’s 3-1 win over West Brom. Subbed off at half-time at the Hawthorns, the Magpies skipper was initially expected to be sidelined for three to four weeks but scans have revealed the problem isn’t bad as first feared, with the Argentine now perhaps missing just two matches (LIV, swa) before returning for the Gameweek 33 home clash against Bolton. With Steven Taylor likely out for the season, Pardew will be keen for a quick return for his captain, with James Perch favourite to slot in alongside Mike Williamson in Coloccini’s absence.
Graham Dorrans is set for a quick return from a hamstring injury this weekend as West Brom travel to Everton. The midfielder was missing for last weekend’s loss to Newcastle with a hamstring problem but looks set to be available for the Goodison showdown – with James Morrison out injured, Dorrans will be amongst a handful of names fighting for the role in the hole behind Marc-Antoine Fortune. Roy Hodgson received another injury boost with the news that Jerome Thomas trained yesterday; the winger was subbed off at half-time against the Magpies due to a hamstring problem. Chris Brunt is expected to train tomorrow for the first time this week; the Irishman has been struggling with a virus and was named on the bench last weekend, coming on as a replacement for Thomas.
Alex McLeish is contemplating a change of personnel and formation ahead of Chelsea’s visit to Villa Park this weekend. With Alan Hutton a major doubt and Charles N’Zogbia ruled out, McLeish is considering Eric Lichaj for a right-back role, while the form of Andreas Weimann may see the Villa boss shift to 4-4-2 in order to accommodate the young forward; certainly, with two goals in their last five, an up-front reshuffle looks a necessity for the toothless midlands outfit. The Villa boss is also sweating on the fitness of skipper Stiliyan Petrov – the Bulgarian has been unable to train all week due to a fever.
Nikica Jelavic was amongst the goals again for Everton last night as the Toffees saw off Sunderland to secure an FA Cup Semi Final showdown with Liverpool. With a couple of goals in just three league starts, the Croatian is gaining in popularity with Fantasy managers – over 6,000 have transferred him in this week – yesterday’s composed finish merely underlined his clinical ability in the opposition box and with form and fixtures (WBA, nor, SUN) on his side, the 5.9 priced forward could be set to produce over the next few weeks, as David Moyes engineers a climb up the table. Last night’s win means Everton’s Gameweek 34 clash with Stoke is currently postponed, though it’s possible the game could be rescheduled for a midweek slot, avoiding a blank in their upcoming schedule.
Owen Coyle is sweating on the availability of Darren Pratley, after the midfielder picked up an injury in last night’s FA Cup defeat at Spurs. The former Swansea man was subbed off with a large gash down the inside of his thigh at White Hart Lane and post-match, the Bolton boss revealed the worst case scenario could be a four to six week spell on the sidelines.
