Chelsea v Atletico Madrid: Petr Cech in contention for Champions League semi-final after training with John Terry, Eden Hazard and Samuel Eto’o
Cech was thought to have suffered a dislocated shoulder in the first leg last Tuesday with Jose Mourinho ruling him out of the rest of the season
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Your support makes all the difference.Chelsea have been handed a quadruple boost ahead of their Champions League semi-final second leg with Atletico Madrid after Petr Cech joined John Terry, Eden Hazard and Samuel Eto’o in training at the club’s Cobham base ahead of Wednesday’s encounter at Stamford Bridge.
Cech was seen marching out in full kit, with his protective head guard and gloves on despite suffering a suspected dislocated shoulder in the first leg last Tuesday. Jose Mourinho immediately ruled Cech out for the rest of the season, and with fears he would require surgery on the injury, he faced a race against time to be fit for the start of the next campaign in August.
However, his appearance stunned onlookers, as well as Terry’s after Mourinho admitted the ankle injury he suffered in the same match would keep him out for the bulk of the season, with a return only likely in the Champions League final should the Blues book their place in the Lisbon showcase.
Cech later told Sky Sports News that he was fit, however whether he is fit enough to replace Mark Schwarzer on Wednesday night is less clear, and still seems unlikely, despite his appearance in training.
Atletico striker Diego Costa – a transfer target for the Blues in the summer – accidentally landed on Terry’s foot, before the centre-back also made contact with his team-mate David Luiz. Despite trying his best to continue, the limping captain was forced off and was given a minimal chance of taking his place alongside Gary Cahill for the second leg.
But it seems Terry will feature in the starting XI, and could be joined by winger Eden Hazard, who has recovered from a hamstring injury sustained in the quarter-final second-leg victory over Paris St-Germain at the beginning of April.
Hazard did travel to Madrid last week but was not risked by Mourinho, and he was left out of the squad that beat Liverpool 2-0 on Sunday as the Portuguese rotated his squad in an effort to keep his first-choice stars fit for tomorrow’s match.
Eto’o missed both trips to Madrid and Anfield having suffered a knee injury in the 2-1 defeat to Sunderland a fortnight ago. The Blues haven’t missed the striker too much given Demba Ba’s recent run of form, with the Senegalese scoring five goals in his last eight outings which included crucial strikes against Tottenham, PSG and Liverpool as well as Swansea.
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