Florent Malouda will miss Champions League match versus Spartak Moscow
French midfielder Florent Malouda will not be in the lineup for Chelsea when they take on Spartak Moscow in UEFA Champions League matchday four action.
Chelsea head coach Carlo Ancelotti has decided to leave Malouda out of the lineup due to an ankle injury that he suffered over the weekend in the team's 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers.
"Malouda has an ankle problem," Ancelotti confirmed. "He twisted it in the last game and had a scan yesterday. He will have another one today, but we don't think it's a big problem.
"It was a little twist. I hope he will be ready for the game at Liverpool."
Malouda has been a major part of Chelsea's success so far this season, scoring seven goals in the Premier League, good for a tie with Manchester City's Carlos Tevez and Newcastle's Kevin Nolan atop the league.
But Malouda has failed to score in the Champions League so far, leaving the scoring duties in that tournament to fellow Frenchman Nicolas Anelka, who has four of the team's eight goals in the competition.
Frank Lampard and Yossi Benayoun remain out of the Chelsea lineup with long-term injuries, although Ancelotti is hopeful that Lampard will be able to return as early as Sunday, 7 November, when Chelsea takes on Liverpool.
Portuguese defender Jose Bosingwa has also been ruled out of the lineup for Chelsea due to an illness.
Chelsea are currently in the top spot in Group F after three-consecutive wins, and Ancelotti is not about to risk exposing his players to further injury.
"We have a lot of games coming up and I don't want to take a risk. We have important games against Liverpool and Fulham and we want to play them with the players in good condition."
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