Chelsea Team News Update: Jose Gives Latest On Oscar, Luiz, Cole & More

Chelsea take on Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday looking to close the gap at the top of the Premier League.

Boss Jose Mourinho has been in front of the media this afternoon for his pre-match press conference and he gave Chelseafc.com a team news and injury update with the latest on Oscar, David Luiz, Samuel Eto’o and Ashley Cole.

Midfielder Oscar picked up an ankle injury against Southampton last weekend and was forced to miss the midweek win over Sunderland. However, while the Brazilian is now back in training, Mourinho hasn’t decided whether he will be involved this weekend or not.

Luiz has missed the last three games with a knee injury and has failed to recover in time to make the trip to Stoke, but striker Eto’o is available again having missed the last two fixtures with a muscle injury.

Long-serving left-back Ashley Cole has seen Cesar Azpilicueta take his first team place in recent weeks after struggling to regain his form following a rib injury. But Mourinho has confirmed the 32-year-old will start either this weekend or next Wednesday against Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League.

The Chelsea boss told the clubs official website:

‘David Luiz is out, I don’t know when I’ll have him back,’

‘[Samuel] Eto’o is fine and back with the group, Oscar is also much better and I have to decide whether to play him or not, but he’s much better.

‘Tomorrow or Wednesday Ashley Cole will play. It’s a position where I have alternatives, I have two players for the same position but it’s logical that I don’t give [Cesar] Azpilicueta four matches without giving Ashley one.’

The Blues head into the game against Stoke sitting four points off leaders Arsenal so will hope to cut their rivals advantage to just a single point ahead of the Gunners clash with Everton on Sunday.

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