Scolari reveals mixed news

Drogba returns but Carvalho out for a month

Last updated: 31st October 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Scolari reveals mixed news

Carvalho and Drogba: Mixed injury news

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Didier Drogba will return to the Chelsea squad against Sunderland but Ricardo Carvalho is set to be sidelined for a month.

Carvalho sustained a hamstring injury in the midweek win over Hull and the extent of the problem has now been revealed by manager Luiz Felipe Scolari.

The Portuguese centre-back had only returned to action last week after a month out with knee trouble.

Scolari is disappointed to lose Carvalho but can at least welcome back Drogba, who has recovered from a knee injury.

"Drogba is with us and will be on the bench," said the Chelsea manager.

"But it will be one month for Carvalho. It's two weeks minimum without training, then recovery work.

"He'll play for us after a month. He'll be a big loss.

"When I bring one player back, I lose another. That's how it's going for me at the moment at Chelsea."

Keane revenge

Scolari will pit his wits against Roy Keane for the first time on Saturday and admits he has an extra motivation for wanting three points.

Scolari was in charge of South American side Palmeiras when they met Manchester United in the 1999 World Club Championship final in Tokyo and Keane scored a crucial goal.

"Roy Keane was a fantastic player and he killed me one time," said Scolari.

"I think you remember - Manchester United against Palmeiras in Tokyo. He scored a goal I remember very well.

"Giggs crossed and Keane scored at the far post. It's in my mind. Maybe this is a chance to win a game against Keane. He was a very good player and he's started now as a coach.

"He's intelligent and he's learned lots from the coaches he's worked with over the years, he can be a good coach."

Record

Chelsea suffered their first defeat in 86 home games when they lost to Liverpool last week but Scolari insists he has already worked out how many points will be required to finish as champions.

He said: "We lost the game, not the record. The record was important, but the three points were more important.

"We want to apologise to our fans, but we didn't play very well for one game. That day was against Liverpool.

"I've been thinking about the number of points we will need because I have the statistics of the other five championships they've played before.

"I know the number of points I expect for the end of the season. But I don't think it will be a two-horse race. I don't think it's only us and Liverpool.

"Manchester United, Arsenal, Aston Villa... Aston Villa are three points behind us. It's not a definitive situation at the moment. After 30 games, we'll see."