Chelsea Team News: Mourinho Offers Injury Update On Fabregas & Luis

Chelsea will be hoping to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table when they take on Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday afternoon.

Ahead of the game, Jose Mourinho has been speaking to the media at his pre-match press conference this afternoon and gave reporters a team news and injury update.

The Blues boss confirmed that the only injury absentee for tomorrow’s game is Filipe Luis, with the full-back still out with a calf injury that he suffered against Liverpool’s in the Capital One Cup semi-final 10 days ago.

Mourinho told reporters:

“Filipe Luis is injured, and the player you suspend is suspended,” Mourinho said.

“Everyone is fit other than that.”

It means that Chelsea have been handed a major boost with Cesc Fabregas fit to return from a hamstring injury that he too suffered in the League Cup clash last week.

The Spaniard missed last weekend’s draw with Manchester City after being forced off in the second half against Liverpool and newspaper reports yesterday claimed that Fabregas was expected to sit out tomorrow’s trip to Villa Park.

But thankfully for Chelsea the midfielder has made a swift recovery and should now return to the starting line-up alongside Nemanja Matic, although John Obi Mikel is also back in contention after recovering from a head injury so Mourinho may opt to play the Nigerian in midfield with Fabregas further forward.

New signing Juan Cuadrado is also in-line to make his debut following his big-money move from Fiorentina on transfer deadline day, and Mourinho confirmed the attacker could feature at Villa Park:

Jose says Cuadrado could figure against Villa tomorrow. #CFC

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 6, 2015

The only other player who is certain to miss out is striker Diego Costa, as he serves the second of his three-match ban after being charged with violet conduct following an alleged stamp on Liverpool’s Emre Can.