Both Gary Cahill and Ashley Cole could return to action for Chelsea on Sunday against Liverpool, according to interim manager Rafael Benitez.
Cole has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since our FA Cup quarter-final win over Manchester United on Easter Monday but I think Ryan Bertrand has deputised fairly well despite a few shaky moments when he initially took to the pitch in the fixture Cole limped off in.
Cahill has been out of action for even longer as he hasn’t played ever since the 2-0 win over West Ham at Stamford Bridge last month. The defender suffered an awkward fall and hurt his knee during the match, so had to have surgery shortly after.
Benitez will be glad to have the England duo back and available for selection as he has had to rotate his squad during a busy period of the season.
He said:
“The good news is that we have had Gary Cahill and Ashley Cole training today. Also Marko Marin who was not training before.
“It’s positive news. Apart from Romeu, the rest of the squad is fit. I don’t know if Sunday will be too soon for them, we will train again tomorrow and see.”
Although they could both be available, I don’t think if a tough fixture away to Liverpool is the best time to throw them back into the line-up and it may be a better idea to give one or both a run out on Thursday night against Basel. Hopefully it won’t be too long before they are back into the rhythm of things as Chelsea need all the bodies they can get as they fight for a top four finish and the UEFA Europa League.
