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Lampard set to return from injury for Chelsea
Source: Agencies |
November 12, 2010, Friday
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ENGLAND midfielder Frank Lampard should make his long-awaited return from injury for Chelsea on Sunday as the Premier League leaders look to extend their remarkable record at Stamford Bridge this season.
Lampard has been out of action since the end of August after making a slower-than-expected recovery from hernia surgery but should be one of a number of key players back this weekend for the reigning champions, who host Sunderland.
"I think he'll be OK for Sunday," Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti said of Lampard on Wednesday after his team's 1-0 home victory over Fulham. "He started to train two days ago with the team.
"He doesn't have a problem, he is showing confidence. I hope he will be ready, not necessarily to play for 90 minutes but just to be involved in the squad. If he's OK, he can start."
The absence of Lampard, who has missed 14 games in all competitions because of his injury, hasn't affected Chelsea, which is four points clear at the top of the table and yet to concede at home in the league this season.
"It's nice to have the gap but four points is nothing - we have to keep winning," said Ivory Coast forward Salomon Kalou.
"We have to keep playing our game, focus and not worry too much about the gap we have between us and the other teams."
Lampard's return is perfectly timed, given fellow midfielder Michael Essien will miss the Sunderland game through suspension after being sent off in the closing stages of the win over Fulham.
Brazil center back Alex and former France striker Nicolas Anelka will also be back after recovering from knee and back problems respectively.
Chelsea will be coming up against a side which is eighth in the table and coming off a 1-1 draw at Tottenham on Tuesday. Sunderland has kept four clean sheets in its last six league matches, although it was thrashed 5-1 by Newcastle in the northeast derby a two weeks ago.
Manchester United is currently Chelsea's closest challenger but the 18-time champions will be missing a host of important players for its match at Aston Villa on Saturday.
Veteran midfielder Paul Scholes (suspended) and right back Rafael (leg) have joined injured quartet Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Michael Owen and Owen Hargreaves on the sidelines, while left back Patrice Evra is a doubt with an ankle problem sustained in the 0-0 draw at Manchester City on Wednesday.
Arsenal bounced back from its 1-0 home defeat against Newcastle at the weekend to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 on Wednesday and take sole possession of third place.
The Gunners are away at Everton in Sunday's other game while fourth-place City is at home to Birmingham a day earlier.
The top four have created a gap at the top - with fifth-place Newcastle four points further adrift - and City defender Vincent Kompany hopes to maintain that cushion after seeing his side recover from a successive defeats in the league, to Arsenal then Wolves.
"We are still very much in it (the title race)," the Belgium center back said. "We have picked ourselves up and are looking forward.
"We have played maybe the five best teams in the country in Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal, United and Chelsea and kept four clean sheets against them. Those teams usually score for fun but we have done well to contain them. It is a positive thing. Goals will come in our next games."
Newcastle is at home to Fulham, sixth-place Bolton visits Wolves and seventh-place Tottenham looks to end a four-game winless run when it hosts Blackburn.
In Saturday's other games, bottom side West Ham is at home to Blackpool, which will recall all its key players who were rested for the 3-2 defeat at Villa in midweek, third-from-bottom Wigan hosts West Bromwich Albion and Liverpool visits Stoke.
Lampard has been out of action since the end of August after making a slower-than-expected recovery from hernia surgery but should be one of a number of key players back this weekend for the reigning champions, who host Sunderland.
"I think he'll be OK for Sunday," Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti said of Lampard on Wednesday after his team's 1-0 home victory over Fulham. "He started to train two days ago with the team.
"He doesn't have a problem, he is showing confidence. I hope he will be ready, not necessarily to play for 90 minutes but just to be involved in the squad. If he's OK, he can start."
The absence of Lampard, who has missed 14 games in all competitions because of his injury, hasn't affected Chelsea, which is four points clear at the top of the table and yet to concede at home in the league this season.
"It's nice to have the gap but four points is nothing - we have to keep winning," said Ivory Coast forward Salomon Kalou.
"We have to keep playing our game, focus and not worry too much about the gap we have between us and the other teams."
Lampard's return is perfectly timed, given fellow midfielder Michael Essien will miss the Sunderland game through suspension after being sent off in the closing stages of the win over Fulham.
Brazil center back Alex and former France striker Nicolas Anelka will also be back after recovering from knee and back problems respectively.
Chelsea will be coming up against a side which is eighth in the table and coming off a 1-1 draw at Tottenham on Tuesday. Sunderland has kept four clean sheets in its last six league matches, although it was thrashed 5-1 by Newcastle in the northeast derby a two weeks ago.
Manchester United is currently Chelsea's closest challenger but the 18-time champions will be missing a host of important players for its match at Aston Villa on Saturday.
Veteran midfielder Paul Scholes (suspended) and right back Rafael (leg) have joined injured quartet Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Michael Owen and Owen Hargreaves on the sidelines, while left back Patrice Evra is a doubt with an ankle problem sustained in the 0-0 draw at Manchester City on Wednesday.
Arsenal bounced back from its 1-0 home defeat against Newcastle at the weekend to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 on Wednesday and take sole possession of third place.
The Gunners are away at Everton in Sunday's other game while fourth-place City is at home to Birmingham a day earlier.
The top four have created a gap at the top - with fifth-place Newcastle four points further adrift - and City defender Vincent Kompany hopes to maintain that cushion after seeing his side recover from a successive defeats in the league, to Arsenal then Wolves.
"We are still very much in it (the title race)," the Belgium center back said. "We have picked ourselves up and are looking forward.
"We have played maybe the five best teams in the country in Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal, United and Chelsea and kept four clean sheets against them. Those teams usually score for fun but we have done well to contain them. It is a positive thing. Goals will come in our next games."
Newcastle is at home to Fulham, sixth-place Bolton visits Wolves and seventh-place Tottenham looks to end a four-game winless run when it hosts Blackburn.
In Saturday's other games, bottom side West Ham is at home to Blackpool, which will recall all its key players who were rested for the 3-2 defeat at Villa in midweek, third-from-bottom Wigan hosts West Bromwich Albion and Liverpool visits Stoke.
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