Chelsea vs. Tottenham - Chelsea team news: Frank Lampard ruled out of London derby
Chelsea FC midfielder Frank Lampard has been ruled out for the London derby against Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League.
Lampard, who was expected to make a return to action after recuperating from a hernia problem, will not feature in Chelsea’s away match at White Hart Lane.
Frank has been training all week with the 1st team, but shortage of match practice is probably why Carlo Ancelotti chose not to risk him for Sunday’s clash. However, Ancelotti revealed that the 32-year-old talisman will
mark his return in the Blues’ home match against title challengers Manchester United.
The Italian, in a pre-match briefing, confirmed Lampard’s exclusion from the team that will face the Spurs on the weekend and said, “He is out, but I can say this with a smile because he trained well. We thought he would be ready
for a very tough game against Tottenham but we didn't have a test with him with games, so we need to arrange a game with him, maybe Thursday, and after that I think he will be available against Manchester United.”
Right-back Jose Bosingwa will also miss the match against Tottenham after tearing his hamstring in the game against Olympique Marseille. The Portuguese had to be replaced during Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat in France in the UEFA Champions
League.
Left-back Ashley Cole and Nicolas Anelka, who were rested in the European tie during the week, will be back in the team.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping for a revival after a string of poor results. Lately, Chelsea have only been a shadow of their past, failing to win a single league match in 4 attempts. Their last victory in the Premier League
was the 1-0 home win against local rivals Fulham FC. Since then, the Blues have lost matches against Sunderland FC and Birmingham City, and have drawn with Newcastle United and Everton FC.
The former AC Milan boss knows that it is not the ideal time to visit the north-London club, who are eying for a top-4 finish in back-to-back seasons. However, the master tactician mentioned that his side can emerge winners if
they play to their full potential.
The 51-year-old manager also mentioned the possible threat to Chelsea’s defence that could be posed by Tottenham’s speedy winger Gareth Bale.
He said, “Obviously Gareth Bale could be a very dangerous player, we have to pay attention, but I don't want to put Ivanovic right-back. Right-back will be Ferreira, obviously we need support from midfielders to control him and
we'll try to do this. If Chelsea plays at its best we will win, 100 percent, but I don't know if we are able to play at our best.”
He ended with this rather troubling statement: “If Chelsea plays at its best we will win, 100 percent, but I don't know if we are able to play at our best.”
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