Chelsea are increasingly resigned to being without their regular holding midfielder, Mikel John Obi, through injury for the critical Premier League game at Liverpool on Sunday, with Michael Ballack expected to retain his place in the leaders' starting line-up.
Mikel sustained damage to his ankle and knee ligaments in a challenge from the Bolton striker Kevin Davies during Chelsea's 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge this month. The 23-year-old, who has established himself as first-choice in the anchor role in the prolonged absence of Michael Essien, was fit enough to start the following game at Tottenham Hotspur but lasted 33 minutes before succumbing to a relapse of the injury.
That ruled him out of the meeting with Stoke City last weekend though Carlo Ancelotti had been hoping he would have Mikel available for the trip to Merseyside. However, the player continues to be discomforted by the injury and is rated extremely doubtful for Sunday. While the Nigerian was not missed against Stoke, with the visitors dismissed 7-0, his absence would potentially be felt more keenly at Anfield where he would have been in direct confrontation with Steven Gerrard, the main thrust of Liverpool's attacks in the absence of the injured Fernando Torres.
The task of quelling the home captain is now expected to fall on the experienced Ballack, who had little to do in the one-sided contest with Stoke. The Germany captain has played in the position before but it is not his preferred role, though he is likely to be given the nod ahead of both Branislav Ivanovic – who has featured occasionally as a defensive midfielder, albeit not at Chelsea – and the versatile Juliano Belletti. The Brazilian, an unused substitute against Stoke, will leave Stamford Bridge under freedom of contract in the summer.
Mikel should be fit to feature in the final fixture of the season, against Wigan Athletic on 9 May. Ancelotti will at least have Deco and Yuri Zhirkov available for the trip to the north-west after both recovered from a virus that had swept through the squad in the build-up to the Stoke game, while John Terry returns after a one-match ban following his sending off at Spurs. Ricardo Carvalho continues his steady rehabilitation from his own ankle problems, though he has only just started running again and will not be in consideration for the weekend.
Chelsea could potentially claim the league title on Sunday should they win at Anfield in the early afternoon kick-off and Manchester United subsequently succumb to Steve Bruce's Sunderland on Wearside. The Londoners will be flying back from Liverpool as the United game concludes and will only learn whether or not they have been crowned champions for the first time since 2006 on arrival back at Gatwick.
Mikel sustained damage to his ankle and knee ligaments in a challenge from the Bolton striker Kevin Davies during Chelsea's 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge this month. The 23-year-old, who has established himself as first-choice in the anchor role in the prolonged absence of Michael Essien, was fit enough to start the following game at Tottenham Hotspur but lasted 33 minutes before succumbing to a relapse of the injury.
That ruled him out of the meeting with Stoke City last weekend though Carlo Ancelotti had been hoping he would have Mikel available for the trip to Merseyside. However, the player continues to be discomforted by the injury and is rated extremely doubtful for Sunday. While the Nigerian was not missed against Stoke, with the visitors dismissed 7-0, his absence would potentially be felt more keenly at Anfield where he would have been in direct confrontation with Steven Gerrard, the main thrust of Liverpool's attacks in the absence of the injured Fernando Torres.
The task of quelling the home captain is now expected to fall on the experienced Ballack, who had little to do in the one-sided contest with Stoke. The Germany captain has played in the position before but it is not his preferred role, though he is likely to be given the nod ahead of both Branislav Ivanovic – who has featured occasionally as a defensive midfielder, albeit not at Chelsea – and the versatile Juliano Belletti. The Brazilian, an unused substitute against Stoke, will leave Stamford Bridge under freedom of contract in the summer.
Mikel should be fit to feature in the final fixture of the season, against Wigan Athletic on 9 May. Ancelotti will at least have Deco and Yuri Zhirkov available for the trip to the north-west after both recovered from a virus that had swept through the squad in the build-up to the Stoke game, while John Terry returns after a one-match ban following his sending off at Spurs. Ricardo Carvalho continues his steady rehabilitation from his own ankle problems, though he has only just started running again and will not be in consideration for the weekend.
Chelsea could potentially claim the league title on Sunday should they win at Anfield in the early afternoon kick-off and Manchester United subsequently succumb to Steve Bruce's Sunderland on Wearside. The Londoners will be flying back from Liverpool as the United game concludes and will only learn whether or not they have been crowned champions for the first time since 2006 on arrival back at Gatwick.
